Department for Transport

Railways: Overcrowding

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effects on passenger safety of overcrowding on trains.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the merits for passenger safety of a maximum ratio of passengers to seats in trains.

Joseph Johnson: All franchises let by Department for Transport require the train operator to take reasonable steps to address crowding. Safe assessment and operation of services is a matter for individual rail operators’ safety management systems as certificated by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). We expect all franchised operators to discharge the Franchise Agreement in line with industry safety standards.

Bus Services: Standards

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the potential effect of the proposed works to Bromham Road bridge on journey times for passengers travelling on the replacement bus service from Wellingborough to Bedford.

Joseph Johnson: No assessment has currently been made. Until all approvals have been granted, the timing for the proposed work remains unknown to enable a full assessment of any journey impact, which we would expect East Midlands Trains to undertake.

Thameslink Railway Line: Standards

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many train services from Bedford to London have not stopped at West Hampstead since 20 May 2018; and what discussions he has had with Govia Thameslink on those services no longer stopping at West Hampstead.

Joseph Johnson: As part of the new timetable, West Hampstead Thameslink is now classified as a metro station and Bedford as a main line station. The metro services that will call at West Hampstead during peak times will start from St Albans and Luton. A key part of the strategy for the new timetable is to deliver capacity and performance benefits by separating main line and metro services. The Department for Transport worked with the rail industry to specify the details of this timetable. This was consulted on three times by Govia Thameslink Railway, as the operator of Thameslink services, in one of the largest ever consultations to take place on the railways.

A75: Dumfries and Galloway

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to upgrade the A75 in Dumfries and Galloway.

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with (a)  Mid and East Antrim Council and (b) the Dumfries and Galloway Council on the effect on the local economy of improvements on the A75.

Jesse Norman: Road investment in Scotland is a devolved matter and any plans to improve the A75 therefore fall to the Scottish Government. Where there are areas of cross-border interest, UK Ministers remain keen to collaborate with their Scottish counterparts. The Department is contributing to discussions about the proposed Borderlands Growth Deal, which includes an aspiration to improve the A75.

Aviation: Local Government Finance

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to allocate additional funding to local authorities who own aerodromes to release the economic potential of those facilities.

Jesse Norman: Most airport operators whether in the commercial private sector, or in public/private partnerships operate as private commercial undertakings. In this regard, the UK’s aviation industry operates essentially without subsidy. It is therefore for local authorities to determine any additional funding for any aerodromes they own. Additionally, provision of public funding for airports needs to comply with the European Community State aid guidelines for airports and airlines.

Aviation: Training

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many commercial pilots were trained in the UK in each of the last five years of which information is available.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the number of pilots that are trained in the UK.

Jesse Norman: The table below shows the number of pilots who, according to the Civil Aviation Authority’s records, had an initial UK commercial licence issued each year. Year Number of pilots .2013 18832014 18942015 18502016 17762017 1960 Figures for the number of pilots trained in the UK are not available. Applicants for a UK commercial pilot’s licence are not necessarily trained in the UK, and many pilots come to the UK for training but will have a licence issued by their own national aviation authority. The Government will explore current and future skills shortages in aviation, such as pilot training, as part of the Aviation Strategy which is due for publication in 2019. This will be a long term strategy to 2050 and beyond. The Aviation Strategy ‘Next Steps’ document, published April 2018, highlighted a number of considerations for Government to address skills shortages. These included further collaboration between industry and education providers, realising the full potential of General Aviation training grounds and work to better understand the extent of such skills gaps and how these may affect the aviation sector in future.

Northern

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 24.1 of schedule 6 to part 1 of the Northern Rail franchise agreement, published in February 2016, what assessment he has made of Northern Rail's reports on recruited and trained drivers required to operate the franchise.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 11 June 2018



Clause 24.1 of Schedule 6 of the Northern Franchise Agreement refers to a commitment to provide an assessment by 31st March 2016 of the forward recruitment plans inherited from the previous franchisee for December 2017 timetable changes. The December 2017 changes were introduced without difficulty in this regard. As further information, Northern had a requirement of approximately 1500 drivers to operate the May 2018 timetable and they recruited and trained additional Drivers resulting in a total of 1529 drivers currently.

Aviation: Facilities

Sir Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the general aviation sector on the economic potential of aerodromes.

Jesse Norman: So far this year Ministers have held a number of discussions with representatives of the general aviation sector where the economic potential of aerodromes was discussed. These have included a round table at Elstree Aerodrome in February, and meetings with the General Aviation Champion Byron Davies in February, March and May, with the General Aviation All Party Parliamentary Group in April and with the General and Business Aviation Strategic Forum in May. The matter has also been raised at many meetings with officials.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his oral contribution of 4 June 2018, Official Report, column 53, by what date his Department plans to conclude it's review of whether GTR and Northern met their contractual obligations in the planning and delivery of the timetable change; and whether he plans to report the conclusions of that review to the House.

Joseph Johnson: In line with our duty to protect the public interest by securing compliance with the franchise agreements under which rail services are delivered, the Department will examine whether GTR and Northern have met their contractual obligations in line with the established ‘Enforcement Policy: Rail Franchise Agreements and Closures’ procedure.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/604396/enforcement-policy-rail-franchise-agreements-and-closures.pdf

Southern: Portsmouth Harbour

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has assessed the effect on tourism of the reduction in the level of train services to Portsmouth Harbour under new Southern Rail timetable.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has not made any assessment of the impact of the new Southern Rail timetable on tourism in Portsmouth. Timetables are agreed between the train operating company and Network Rail.

Members: Correspondence

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Aberavon on 29 March and again on 3 May on the East Coast Mainline.

Joseph Johnson: No correspondence was received from the Hon Member dated 3rd May on the East Coast Mainline. Regarding the correspondence dated 29th March a response was sent out on 2nd May.

Transport Focus: Scotland

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of devolving responsibility for Transport Focus in Scotland to the Scottish Government.

Joseph Johnson: The Government has no plans to review the position of transport Focus in Scotland. The Scottish Government already has an important role in Transport Focus through the member of Transport Focus’s Board who is appointed by Scottish Ministers. Transport Focus also has well established links with the Scottish Government and ministers, Transport Scotland, and with a number of other Scottish transport bodies, who it works closely with as it advocates for transport users.

Department for Transport: Brexit

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of HMRC of 23 May and 5 June 2018 to the Treasury Committee, whether he has seen briefing papers on the estimated figures of £17-20 billion on the costs of the maximum facilitation model; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of those estimates.

Chris Grayling: The Government is undertaking a wide range of continuing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. This analysis contributes to our exit negotiations with the EU, helps define our future partnership with the EU, and informs our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks. We have been clear the Government will not provide an ongoing commentary on internal analytical work that is being carried out within government. By leaving the Customs Union and establishing a new and ambitious customs arrangement with the EU, we will be able to forge new trade relationships with our partners around the world, and maintain as frictionless trade as possible in goods between the UK and EU, providing a positive and powerful voice for free trade. In assessing the options for the UK's future customs relationship with the EU, the government will be guided by what delivers the greatest economic advantage to the UK and by our strategic objectives:To keep trade with the EU as frictionless as possible;To avoid a ‘hard border’ between Ireland and Northern Ireland;To establish an independent international trade policy.

Airports: National Policy Statements

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of new pages of documentation that have been published as part of his Department's Airport National Policy Statement on 5 June; and if he will provide a list of those documents.

Jesse Norman: The Department has made no estimate of the pages of new information published. On 5 June, the Secretary of State laid in Parliament the Airports National Policy Statement (NPS). As required under the Planning Act 2008, this was accompanied by an Appraisal of Sustainability and the Government response to the Transport Committee scrutiny of the draft NPS. The Government has also published “The proposed expansion of Heathrow: a summary” and a non-technical summary of the Appraisal of Sustainability to provide an overview of these documents. To assist readers, the Government has published change logs of amendments made to the NPS and the Appraisal of Sustainability since published for further consultation on 24 October. In addition we have published: a Habitats Regulations Assessment, an Equality Assessment, and a Health Impact Analysis, each accompanied by change logs listing amendments made since consultation; a report from the Independent consultation advisor on the October consultation; a summary of the responses to the October consultation; the Government’s response to the two public consultations; nine regional fact sheets; the key findings of an external report on Heathrow Airport Limited’s (HAL) delivery plans; an external review of proposed the capacities of HAL's north-west runway and Heathrow Hub Limited’s extended northern runway; and a new Addendum to the “Updated Appraisal Report: Airport Capacity in the South-East”.

Network Rail: Property

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has received representations from businesses occupying Network Rail properties on the effect of rent rises on those properties on their ability to remain in those properties; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Railways: Timetables

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2018 to Written Question 148967, on how many of the 11 occasions that he met Network Rail representatives was the implementation of the May 2018 timetable changes specifically discussed.

Joseph Johnson: I would like to refer the Hon gentleman to my answer I gave on 06 June.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Timetables

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times he (a) met and (b) had other contacts with representatives from Govia Thameslink Railway to discuss the implementation of the Rail Plan 2020 timetable changes in each of the last six months.

Joseph Johnson: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with representatives from the rail industry where a range of topics are discussed. As he made clear in his recent statement to the House, as few as three weeks before the timetable was to be implemented Govia Thameslink Railway assured the Secretary of State they were ready to implement the timetable changes.

London-Brighton Railway Line: Repairs and Maintenance

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the capability of Network Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway to complete the scheduled work programme on the Brighton Mainline in October 2018 and February 2019.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is committed to a £300m programme of works to improve asset performance on the Brighton Mainline and Thameslink routes, following my announcement in January 2017. Both Network Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway plan for significant improvement works on the Brighton Mainline in October 2018 and February 2019. The works in October 2018 and February 2019 will need to go through a number of industry readiness assessments and I and the Department have and will continue to challenge the rail industry to ensure the plans, and alternate travel arrangements for passengers, are appropriately robust.

London-Brighton Railway Line: Repairs and Maintenance

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) Govia Thameslink Railway on the scheduled work programme on the Brighton Mainline in October 2018 and February 2019.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Railways: Standards

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, the total number of trains (a) cancelled and (b) delayed for each franchise in each month since January 2018.

Joseph Johnson: The attached document provides information on the total number of trains (a) cancelled and (b) delayed for each franchise in each month since January 2018.

Transport: Ombudsman

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has to create a transport ombudsman service.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is supporting the introduction of an ombudsman scheme for rail passengers being established by the Rail Delivery Group, working closely with Transport Focus, London TravelWatch and the Office of Rail and Road. There are currently no plans to extend the remit of the Rail Ombudsman into other areas of transport. Redress and resolution services already exist in other areas of passenger transport, such as the alternative dispute resolution arrangements in place for aviation passengers and bus passengers.

London-Brighton Railway Line: Repairs and Maintenance

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) Govia Thameslink Railway on arrangements for replacement transport during the period of the scheduled work programme on the Brighton Mainline in October 2018 and February 2019; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of those arrangements.

Joseph Johnson: The Department continues to work closely with Network Rail and GTR to ensure that bus replacement services and other arrangements will be in place to minimise disruption to passengers during both blockades. That work is ongoing and kept under review.

Air Traffic

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential change in the level of total air traffic movements at (a) Heathrow Airport, (b) London airports, (c) Manchester Airport, (d) Newcastle Airport, (e) Glasgow Airport and (f) throughout the UK as a result of a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

Jesse Norman: The Government has fully assessed the impact of expansion in the South East on the UK’s connectivity. As set out in Chapter 3 of the Updated Appraisal Report. The Government is clear that a Northwest Runway at Heathrow will help to secure the UK’s status as a global aviation hub, while regional airports will continue to develop their point-to-point networks. This conclusion is supported by the analysis which shows that passenger numbers and international flights at airports outside London are expected to increase by 80% and 71% respectively between 2016 and 2050 with a third runway at Heathrow. In addition, passengers from all across the UK are expected to use the connections made available at an expanded Heathrow, with nearly 6 million additional trips from passengers outside London and the South East being made via the airport in 2040. The expected number of Air Transport Movements at each of the listed airports, both with and without expansion, is given in Annex E (Tables 66 & 67) of the UK Aviation Forecasts 2017 report.

Railways: Timetables

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential for conflict of interest in relation to the appointment of Stephen Glaister the Chair of Network Rail’s regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, to conduct an inquiry into the May 2018 timetable implementation.

Joseph Johnson: The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is the independent regulator for the rail sector. As a public body independent of government, the ORR is answerable to Parliament. It is established by statute, and operates under a legislative framework that assures its independence from both government and the rail companies that it regulates. The government has asked the ORR to conduct the inquiry within this framework, which assures the independence of this work.

Office of Rail and Road: Public Appointments

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what processes and procedures were followed in the reappointment of Stephen Glaister as the Chairman of the Office of Rail and Road.

Joseph Johnson: The appointment process was conducted in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments and the Principles of Public Appointments.

Aviation

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of international flights (a) to and (b) from each UK airport in the event that (i) the north-west runway at Heathrow is built and (ii) if no additional airport capacity is built in the South East of England.

Jesse Norman: The Government has fully assessed the impact of expansion in the South East on the UK’s connectivity, as set out in Chapter 3 of the Updated Appraisal Report. The Government is clear that a Northwest Runway at Heathrow will help to secure the UK’s status as a global aviation hub, while regional airports will continue to develop their point-to-point networks. This conclusion is supported by the analysis which shows that passenger numbers and international flights at airports outside of London are expected to increase by 80% and 71% respectively between 2016 and 2050 with a third runway at Heathrow. In addition, passengers from all across the UK are expected to use the connections made available at an expanded Heathrow, with nearly 6 million additional trips from passengers outside of London and the South East being made via the airport in 2040. Table 1 below shows the forecast number of international passenger Air Transport Movements (ATM) from the Department’s 2017 UK aviation forecasts.[1] The Government recognises that all three schemes for expansion in the South East are projected to result in regional airports experiencing somewhat slower growth in international flights than they might otherwise have seen. However, there is still expected to be strong growth at non-London airports relative to today. Expansion will also improve the UK’s connectivity as a whole with more frequent services to important destinations around the world, providing benefits for passengers and freight-operators across the UK, supporting economic growth. It is recognised that Table 1 does not reflect this hub benefit nor the considerably greater scope that expansion brings for more domestic flights from regional airports to Heathrow, which would provide passengers from across the country access to a vast network of international destinations. In addition, the modelling does not take account of the future commercial strategies which individual airports could employ to take advantage of the opportunities from both greater connections and growing demand outside London. Heathrow expansion has been supported by a range of UK airports, including Liverpool John Lennon, Glasgow and Newquay. Table 1: International passenger Air Transport Movements at modelled UK airports, thousandsInternational passenger ATMs (000s)No expansionLHR NWR203020402050203020402050Gatwick266277280255273279Heathrow467473474698719730London City696566395552Luton1009588999789Stansted166182183121163182Birmingham11517318597130183Bristol565966495859East Midlands527190536784Edinburgh526371516372Glasgow444755434653Liverpool232543252742Manchester179214272159207245Newcastle262935222834Other small UK airports140217351113137232Total175519902258182520692338   [1] An ATM represents a single use of a runway – either a landing or a take-off – so the numbers of take-offs and landings are each half of the total displayed.

Air Routes

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library a copy of the legal advice provided to his Department on the provision of subsidies for regional air connections from UK airports to Heathrow airport.

Jesse Norman: The current regulation is clear that subsidies can be provided under Public Service Obligations (PSOs). The Government already subsidises three PSO routes to London airports (Newquay to Gatwick; Dundee to Stansted; and Londonderry to Stansted). The Department has taken further legal advice on the Government’s interpretation of existing PSO regulations as part of the development of policy to improve connections between Heathrow and the regions and nations of the UK should expansion go ahead. This will be central to achieving the Secretary of State’s ambition for up to 15% of slots from a new runway being used for domestic routes. The Government’s position on domestic connectivity will be set out in a Green Paper on the Aviation Strategy this autumn and while Government does not publish legal advice, other relevant documents will be published alongside this consultation as appropriate.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Manufacturing Industries: Employment

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people were employed in the (a) cement production, (b) steel production and (c) sugar production industries in the UK for each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: Manufacturing supports 2.7 million jobs (with estimates of 5 million across the whole manufacturing value chain) and contributed £188 billion to the UK economy in 2017. Employment statistics on smaller specific manufacturing sectors such as steel and sugar are available but tend to suffer from data availability issues due to the small number of firms involved. Those for cement are not available due to the same issues. We found figures for steel and sugar production: GB steel sector employment201030,600201132,000201230,900201330,700201434,500201531,400201632,200  Sugar sector employment20102,00020112,0002012*20132,0002014*2015*2016* (Source: ONS Business Register and Employment Survey)

Coal: Consumption

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what research his Department has undertaken on the factors responsible for the recent increase in coal consumption globally; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The Department draws on a variety of data sources, such as the International Energy Agency, to analyse global energy trends. According to the International Energy Agency, global coal demand rose by around 1% in 2017, but this followed declines in the previous two years. The increase in 2017 is also well below the average annual growth rate of the preceding decade which was 3.3% and global coal demand is still well below its 2014 peak. Coal demand from the power sector drove the increase; lower demand from industry went some way to offset that. Developing economies in emerging Asia saw the largest increases, while demand fell in Europe and the United States.

Coal: Exports

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other governments on the UK supplying coal for their domestic power, steel and cement markets after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The sourcing of fuel for industrial purposes is a commercial matter for the businesses concerned.I have regular discussions with Ministers in other governments on a range of topics, including the production and use of coal, promoting the UK’s Industrial Strategy and maximising opportunities for UK firms after Brexit.

Ports

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to commission a feasibility study on an ultra-deep-water berth at a UK port.

Claire Perry: As I said at the Westminster Hall Debate on the UK oil and gas industry on 19 April, we will commission a UK-wide scoping study on an ultra-deep water port to support the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas assets. We will work closely with the Scottish Government which had already commissioned a UK-wide study to support its own commitment through its own Programme for Government. I have since discussed this issue in a meeting with Paul Wheelhouse MSP, and BEIS officials remain in contact with counterparts from the Scottish Government on their study. We expect to tender for a UK Government study in the near future and will ensure that we do not duplicate the work undertaken by the consultants working on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2018 to Question 136686, for what reason the loan guarantees offered to EDF to fund the construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station are not classified as (a) risks to and (b) liabilities on the public purse; and if he will confirm the value of the Government-backed loan guarantees offered to EDF.

Richard Harrington: On the 25th October 2016, my rt. hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury made a statement to Parliament approving the provision of a guarantee for up to £2 billion debt guarantee for HPC through the UK Guarantees Scheme. This £2bn guarantee has since been cancelled by EDF. The cancellation will be noted as a change to contingent liabilities in HMT's year-end report, and will also be noted in the annual report to Parliament on the UK Guarantee Scheme.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the opt-in policy for smart meters on the number of smart meter installations; and if he will review his smart meter roll-out policy.

Claire Perry: Smart meters are not compulsory for consumers. The rollout of smart meters is making good progress, with over 400,000 meters being installed every month and 11 million meters operating at the end of March 2018, helping consumers to save money and better understand their energy use.

Free Movement of Labour

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is the Government’s policy to transpose the revision of the Posting of Workers Directive (96/71/EC) into domestic legislation before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.

Andrew Griffiths: We expect the revision to the Posting of Workers Directive to be voted on for adoption (approval by both Council and the European Parliament) shortly, after which it will become EU law. If adopted, we intend to implement it, including through transposition into domestic legislation as necessary, before the end of the transition period. Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full Member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. During this period the Government will also continue to negotiate, implement and apply EU legislation.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the policy framework will be for small and medium sized renewables after the scheduled closure of the Feed-In Tariff next year.

Claire Perry: We are considering options for low-carbon generation, currently eligible for the Feed-In Tariff, beyond 2019, and a consultation on the Feed-in Tariff scheme will be published in due course.

Transport : Carbon Emissions

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to activate section 30 of the Climate Change Act 2008 to include emissions from (a) international aviation and (b) shipping in the UK carbon budget.

Claire Perry: While the UK’s 2050 target and carbon budgets currently exclude emissions from international aviation and international shipping, the Committee on Climate Change has advised on planning for these emissions and their assumptions are incorporated into the Government’s 2050 pathways as set out in the Clean Growth Strategy. The Government is continuing to work to decarbonise the aviation and shipping sectors, both through international action, such as standards and offsetting schemes, and domestically, for example through support for sustainable alternative fuels, improved efficiency and new technologies.

Transport: Carbon Budgets

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the UK carbon budget that came from emissions from the transport sector in (a) 2015, (b) 2020 and (c) 2025.

Claire Perry: Greenhouse gas emissions for 2015, broken down by sector, are publicly available athttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/final-uk-greenhouse-gas-emissions-national-statistics-1990-2016. Similarly, projections of greenhouse gas emissions, by sector, are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-energy-and-emissions-projections-2017, including for the years 2020 and 2025.

Independent Industrial Strategy Council

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2017 to question HL3767 on Independent Industrial Strategy Council, what progress has been made on appointing the Industrial Strategy Council.

Richard Harrington: We are finalising the terms of reference and membership of the council, and further details will be set out in more detail shortly.

Industry

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many proposals for sector deals he has received; what progress has been made on assessing those proposals; and to how many of those proposals he has formally responded.

Richard Harrington: Sector Deals have proven to be a popular concept since suggested in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper in January 2017. Four deals (with the Life Sciences, Automotive, Creative Industries and Artificial Intelligence sectors) have already been published and deals with Construction and Nuclear are expected in the coming weeks. A number of other sectors have expressed interest in a Sector Deal and, as set out in the White Paper, we expect to progress with further Deals that best meet the expectations set out in the White Paper, in due course.

Industry

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on agreeing local industrial strategies; and what resources he has allocated to (a) civil servants and (b) local areas to develop those strategies.

Andrew Griffiths: I am encouraged by the enthusiasm shown across the country for developing Local Industrial Strategies. Policy officials are working intensively with Local Enterprise Partnerships and Mayoral Combined Authorities to develop innovative proposals which address the challenges laid out in our national Industrial Strategy. We are making good progress with trailblazers Greater Manchester, West Midlands and partners across the Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford corridor

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Consultants

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 35 of the Industrial Strategy, how many (a) Business Champions and (b) external advisers have been appointed.

Andrew Griffiths: My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s recent speech on science and innovation set out an ambitious approach to tackle the Grand Challenges and put the UK at the forefront of the industries of the future. There has been extensive engagement on the Grand Challenges which has resulted in business and academic advocates shaping the work and contributing their support as seen as recent events with the national academies and the Resolution Foundation. We will continue to work with the best from across academia and the private sector as we develop our approach to the Grand Challenges and will be appointing Business Champions shortly.

Research: Finance

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to answer of 12 December 2017 to Question 117393 on Research: Investment, when he plans to publish a roadmap for meeting his target of increasing investment in R&D to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Since the publication of the Industrial Strategy, we have been speaking to businesses, academics and other stakeholders to develop the roadmap. Through this engagement we are exploring the barriers to increased R&D investment by business, the greatest opportunities for R&D growth over the next decade, and the key policies Government should prioritise to reach the 2.4% goal and deliver economic and societal impact.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Cameroon: Human Rights

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Cameroonian counterpart on respect for human rights of the Anglophone communities in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: During my recent visit to Cameroon, I met the Prime Minister and the Ministers of External Relations, Territorial Administration and Defence and we discussed the tensions in Cameroon's Anglophone regions. I have since met with the President's Secretary General when he was in London. In all discussions, I reinforced the importance of respecting human rights in a challenging security environment.During CHOGM, the Foreign Secretary met Cameroonian Prime Minister Yang and pressed for urgent action to resolve the dispute and associated violence. I also met Commonwealth Minister Mbayu and delivered the same message.

Marriage: Children

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of marriages involving a party under the age of 16 years worldwide for each year that information is available.

Harriett Baldwin: Based on information available from UNICEF, one in 20 girls are married under the age of 15 globally. In 2017, 12 per cent of girls in sub-Saharan Africa were married by age 15; 8 per cent in South Asia; 5 per cent in Latin America and Caribbean; 3 per cent in the Middle East and North Africa; and 1 per cent in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Noura Hussein

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2018 to Question 143645, if he will (a) call for all charges against Noura Hussein to be dropped and (b) make further representations to the Sudanese authorities to that effect.

Harriett Baldwin: We are deeply concerned about Noura Hussein's case. We continue to make clear to the Government of Sudan our firm opposition to the use of the death penalty under any circumstances, and recall the principle of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that marriage should be entered into only with the free and full consent of spouses. We will continue to raise this case at a high level with the Government of Sudan.

Peacekeeping Operations

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of UK citizens serving as UN peacekeepers.

Mark Field: 740 British forces personnel are currently serving in seven UN missions in six countries: primarily in South Sudan, Cyprus and Somalia, with smaller deployments to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mali and Libya. Further data including a detailed breakdown of troop contributions to UN missions by country can be found on the UN website at https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/troop-and-police-contributors.Alongside troops and police, there are 12,830 civilians currently serving in UN peacekeeping operations. These civilians are employed directly by the UN. A number of these civilians will be British citizens. Information on the number of British citizens working for the United Nations is not collected by the British Government. Data relating to civilian personnel in UN peacekeeping missions can be found on the UN website at https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/data.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information he holds on when the UNHCR plans to report on the feasibility and desirability of relocating Rohingya refugees to Bhashan Char Island.

Mark Field: ​I hope a planned visit to Bhashan Char by the Government and UN Joint Consultative Working Group can be facilitated as soon as possible. We expect the UN to report once it has visited the island. In advance of the visit, and to inform discussions with the Government on Bhashan Char, the UNHCR has produced a position paper outlining its concerns and the key principles for acceptable relocation. I have repeatedly made clear to the Government of Bangladesh that any relocation of refugees must be safe, dignified and in accordance with international humanitarian principles, standards and laws

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Brexit

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of HMRC of 23 May and 5 June 2018 to the Treasury Committee, whether he has seen briefing papers on the estimated figures of £17-20 billion on the costs of the maximum facilitation model; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of those estimates.

Sir Alan Duncan: The analysis to support the estimated £17-20 billion figure was published in a letter by the Chief Executive of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to the Treasury Select Committee on 5 June, 2018. The government is considering two approaches to a future customs relationship with the EU: a 'new customs partnership' and a 'highly streamlined customs arrangement'. Ongoing analysis continues to support the development of both models.

Cameroon: Human Rights

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Cameroon.

Harriett Baldwin: The promotion of human rights in Cameroon remains an objective of the British Government. Human rights violations and abuses lead to unstable, less prosperous and undemocratic societies.The tensions in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon are troubling. The Government wants to see an end to violence, release of prisoners and a meaningful process to address the core issues. We welcome the announcement by President Biya in his New Year speech, calling for moves to rebuild trust, resume dialogue and pursue decentralization. During my visit in February, I met senior Cameroon Government Ministers and reinforced the need for restraint, for the avoidance of excess force and for respect for human rights.

Sudan: Capital Punishment

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussion he has had with his Sudanese Government on the use of the death penalty in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Ambassador to Sudan made clear our strong opposition to the use of the death penalty at a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 15 May. On the same date, in partnership with EU members, we released a statement in which we reconfirmed our firm opposition to the death penalty, and noted our commitment to the universal abolition of this cruel and inhumane punishment, which is a serious violation of Human rights and human dignity.The UK's Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan most recently raised our opposition to the death penalty on 5 June when he met the Sudanese Ambassador to the UK.

Yemen: Ports

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made on the effect of a military assault on Hodeida port in Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition on the prospects of a UN-negotiated peace plan.

Alistair Burt: The British Government has been clear in expressing its concerns about any attack on Hodeidah. We call upon all sides to show restraint, urgently de-escalate and engage in good faith in the political process. It is essential that the UN Special Envoy is given the time and space needed to facilitate a negotiated solution that avoids conflict in the city. We continue to be unequivocal in stressing that only a political solution can bring long-term stability to Yemen – there is no military solution.

Gulf States: Arms Trade

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to stop arms sales to (a) Saudi Arabia and (b) United Arab Emirates in the event that the Saudi-led coalition initiates a military attack on Hodeida in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: Export licences for all countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU & National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. We keep our assessments under careful and continual review, in light of events. The Criteria state, among other things, that the Government will not grant a licence where there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Government

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many meetings were held by members of her Majesty's Government between the start of formal discussions on the Northern Ireland Peace process and the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

Karen Bradley: The Northern Ireland Office does not hold information regarding the number of such meetings, many of which were not hosted by the Department.

Department of Health and Social Care

Patients: Proof of Identity

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to (a) publish the evaluation report on the national pilot on hospital trusts requesting two forms of identification from all patients, (b) whether that evaluation included consideration of whether requesting two forms of identity (i) delayed, (ii) deterred or (iii) prevented patients who did not have proof of identity documents but were entitled to NHS services free of charge from accessing healthcare; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: The evaluation report on the national pilot on hospital trusts requesting two forms of identification from all patients commissioned by Ipsos Mori will be published in due course alongside the Department's proposed next steps and recommended approach. The evaluation did consider whether requesting two forms of identity delayed, deterred or prevented patients who did not have proof of identity documents but were entitled to NHS services free of charge from accessing healthcare. Nobody was denied or prevented from accessing healthcare as a result of the identification checks irrespective if a patient had identification or not.

Epilepsy: Medical Equipment

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing overnight seizure monitoring devices for epilepsy patients.

Steve Brine: No assessment has been made. Decisions about the provision of such devices would be a local matter. There are a range of systems available for different monitoring arrangements, including some free mobile phone apps.

NHS: Staff

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has assessed the number of NHS employees (a) who work while being sick enough to stay at home and (b) the potential effect of that practice on the NHS.

Stephen Barclay: The Department uses the NHS Staff Survey to assess how many National Health Service employees work while being sick enough to stay at home. The 2017 NHS Staff Survey results shows a small increase, from 56% (2016) to 57% (2017) in the number of staff reporting that they attended work in the last three months despite feeling unwell because they felt pressure from their manager, colleagues or themselves. Information on the potential effect of staff working whilst being sick enough to stay at home is not collected. Recognising that staff ill-health and related absence is linked to an increased risk of unsafe care, worse experiences of care for patients and poorer outcomes, the Department continues to commission NHS Employers to help NHS trusts improve staff health and wellbeing through a structured programme of advice, guidance and best practice. They have a dedicated section on presenteeism and what to do as a manager to solve the problem of presenteeism in their toolkit. The toolkit is available at the following link: http://www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/retain-and-improve/staff-experience/health-work-and-wellbeing/action-on-absence/everything-you-need-to-know-about-sickness-absence

Pharmacy: Health Services

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to implement the recommendations of the independent review of community pharmacy clinical services commissioned by the NHS.

Steve Brine: The implementation of the National Health Service Five Year Forward View has taken into account the findings of the Murray Review. NHS England has seen progress in a number of areas to implement the recommendations. For example the Pharmacy Integration Fund has supported a pilot in the North East of referral from NHS 111 to community pharmacies for minor illness and the national ‘stay well campaign’ continues to highlight the role of community pharmacy in this area. We are aware of locally commissioned schemes addressing hypertension. The Pharmacy Integration Fund is also supporting the roll out of clinical pharmacists in general practice and in care homes with additional training to award independent prescriber status.

Pharmacy: Health Services

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to roll-out a minor ailments scheme through community pharmacies as recommended by the independent review of community pharmacy clinical services.

Steve Brine: Minor ailment services are currently commissioned locally by the National Health Service according to need. However a national minor illness scheme is in development, building on a pilot digital minor illness referral service (DMIRS) that commenced last year in the North East. This scheme provides direct referrals from NHS 111 to community pharmacy. Three further DMIRS pilots, supported by the Pharmacy Integration Fund, are due to be launched by early autumn 2018, in Devon, London (in a phased approach), and East Midlands. The areas will be adopting the same model used in the North East with some minor adaptations dependent on the local NHS 111 case mix. An evaluation will inform any next steps for the project.

Pharmacy: Scotland

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of community pharmacist supplementary and independent prescribing clinics in Scotland for England.

Steve Brine: The Scottish Government will shortly be conducting a review of community pharmacy supplementary and independent prescribing clinics. The Department will consider carefully the findings of this review. In England, the Pharmacy Integration Fund is being used to support the employment of pharmacists, who are able to prescribe and access the full clinical record within integrated urgent care, general practice and care homes. These pharmacists are well placed to work alongside the wider medical team to optimise the use of medicines and improve clinical effectiveness.

Pharmacy: Health Services

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the merits of proposals to permit community pharmacists to identify and manage uncomplicated cases of hypertension  as part of the forthcoming community pharmacy funding negotiations.

Steve Brine: Ministers recognise the value and skillset of community pharmacists and their teams with several programmes of work, supported by the Pharmacy Integration Fund, already investigating how we can better utilize their knowledge and expertise in a wide range of primary care settings. The Department is unable to comment on the specifics of the forthcoming negotiations. However any suggested amendments to services delivered under the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework, brought forward by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, will be discussed and considered carefully.

Stem Cells: Donors

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to what financial support his Department has provided to projects that collaborate with international stem cell donor banks to diversify the UK's stem cell donor register.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department provides financial support to NHS Blood and Transplant and Anthony Nolan to enable improved provision of stem cells for patients requiring a transplant including funding for targeted efforts to recruit people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds to the United Kingdom register. This funding has enabled the establishment of a unified stem cell registry for the UK, the ‘Anthony Nolan and the NHS Stem Cell Registry’. Each of the UK’s stem cell registries that collectively form the ‘Anthony Nolan and the NHS Stem Cell Registry’ is a member of the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) – a group of organisations and individuals who promote global collaboration and best practices for the benefit of stem cell donors and transplant patients. The WMDA’s ‘Search & Match Service’ is a global database of life-saving donors that provides a fast search facility to find the best matched donor or cord blood unit in the world for a patient in need of a blood stem cell transplant.

Stem Cells: Donors

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to encourage BAME people to sign up to the stem cell donor register.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department funds Anthony Nolan and NHS Blood Transplant to improve equity of access to unrelated donor stem cell transplantation for Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) patients through targeted recruitment to the Anthony Nolan and the NHS Stem Cell Registry. More than £20 million has been provided to NHS Blood and Transplant and Anthony Nolan for stem cell donation since 2015, and this funding includes very specific stipulations about the numbers of newly registered bone marrow donors, and the proportion of umbilical cords stored in the UK Cord Blood Bank that must be from BAME backgrounds (35-40%). This includes specific funding to support recruitment of donors from BAME backgrounds. In 2016 NHS Blood Transplant began a partnership with Team Margot and launched the Golden Ticket campaign. This project created 35,000 Golden Tickets which were circulated to existing BAME and mixed-race blood donors to encourage them to sign on to the stem cell donor register.

Haematological Cancer: Ethnic Groups

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to address the findings of the Anthony Nolan Trust on the comparatively low survival rates for people with blood cancer from BAME backgrounds.

Steve Brine: The Government funds Anthony Nolan and NHS Blood and Transplant to improve equity of access to unrelated donor stem cell transplantation for Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) patients through targeted recruitment to the United Kingdom Stem Cell Registry. The National Cancer Programme is committed to transforming cancer care and outcomes for all people living with cancer, including those with rarer and hard to diagnose cancers. Ambitions have been set for all cancers and we are clear that we will not meet those ambitions without improving what we do for haematological cancers. Although cancer patients in England rated their overall care 9 out of 10 in the 2016 Cancer Patient Experience Survey, the survey also tells us that BAME patients report poorer experiences of cancer care. NHS England is therefore working with clinical commissioning groups to ensure they use the very best evidence when planning, commissioning and monitoring services for these communities.

Donors: Young People

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide information on (a) blood, (b) stem cell and (c) organ donation to enable young people to make informed choices on being a donor.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for promoting blood, organ and stem cell donation and carries out a wide range of social marketing activity relating to donation with information aimed at different target audiences. In particular, NHSBT has produced a range of free teaching resources to educate and engage students about organ and tissue donation. These have been co-created with teachers, educators, clinicians and lessons are specifically tailored to students aged between 11 and 16 (Key Stage 3 and 4). NHSBT collaborates with Anthony Nolan and the Adrian Sudbury Schools Education Trust who both provide education programmes that teach 16–18-year-olds about the importance of donating stem cells, blood and organs.

Chronic Illnesses: Presciptions

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he make an estimate the merits of making free prescriptions available to all people with lifelong diseases.

Steve Brine: The Department has no plans to make such an estimate. In the financial year 2016/17 prescription charge income generated £554.9 million of revenue for the National Health Service which played a key role in contributing to the cost of providing services. Source: Department of Health Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17

Hospitals: Death

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) extent and (b) causes of regional variation in the proportion of deaths in hospital in England; and if he will make a statement.

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people dying in hospital in areas where there is a high incidence of such deaths.

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking taken to increase the provision of high quality end-of-life care.

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships plan to measure choice in end of life care in line with his Department's commitment in its 2018-19 mandate to NHS England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Place of death is an important measure of the quality of end of life care. We know more people would, given the choice and conditions being right, prefer to die at home and fewer wish to die in hospital than is currently the case. However, we also know that preferences can change over time, and that it is important we work to ensure patients receive the right care and support wherever they are being cared for. Nationally, hospital is currently the most common place of death, with the latest rolling annual data (2016/17 quarter 4 – to 2017/18 quarter 3) showing that 46% of patients (all deaths) died in hospital, but it is important to note this has reduced since 2004 when the figure was 57%. Between clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) the percentage of deaths in hospital ranges from 35% to 63%. Reasons for variation are complex, and in addition to the differences between geographical areas, there are also differences between the conditions people may be dying of at the end of life; between ethnic groups and between deprivation groups. Public Health England’s (PHE) National End of life care intelligence network collects and publishes data and analysis on services and outcomes for care at the end of life care, including place of death nationally, regionally, by CCG and local authority, and a range of resources to support commissioners to improve delivery of their end of life care services can be found on the Intelligence Network’s website at the following link, including PHE’s ‘What we know now’ series, which examines issues of variation in end of life care: www.endoflifecare-intelligence.org.uk On 5 July 2016 we published ‘Our Commitment to you for end of life care’, which set out what everyone should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make high quality, personalised care a reality for everyone. This includes measures to enable personalisation; improve care quality; enhance education and training in end of life care; and encourage the spread of innovative models of care. The commitment sets out that by 2020 we want to significantly improve patient choice, including ensuring an increase in the number of people able to die in the place of their choice, including at home. On 21 September 2017 we published ‘One Year On: The Government commitment to everyone at the end of life’, setting out the good progress made over the first year in implementing the Choice Commitment. Copies of ‘Our Commitment to you for end of life care’; and ‘One year on: the government response to the review of choice in end of life care’ can be found at the following links: www.gov.uk/government/publications/choice-in-end-of-life-care-government-response www.gov.uk/government/publications/choice-in-end-of-life-care-government-progress We remain committed to improving services and ending variation in end of life care by 2020. Through the Mandate, we have asked NHS England to deliver the Choice Commitment, and through NHS England’s National Programme Board for End of life Care, a range of activity is being undertaken with all key system partners and stakeholders to achieve this. NHS England works to support local commissioners in improving the services they provide, including palliative care, and has recently collaborated PHE and the Care Quality Commission to provide bespoke end of life care support to all sustainability and transformation partnerships. For 2018-19, the Government’s Mandate asks NHS England to increase the percentage of people identified as likely to be in their last year of life, so that their end of life care can be improved by personalising it according to their needs and preferences at an earlier stage. NHS England will use the Quality and Outcomes Framework to demonstrate such an increase by looking at the percentage of people who are on the general practitioner register for supportive and palliative care, and consider expected levels based on local populations. Currently the national English average is 0.37%, it is anticipated this figure will increase in the 2018/19 period. Further work will also be undertaken to develop indicators that will enable NHS England to scrutinise the effectiveness of local health economies in delivering choice and quality in end of life care.

Genetics: Screening

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there are plans in place to undertake a localised population-based genetic research study in England; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The United Kingdom has a strong history of conducting cohort studies of this kind. The Department’s National Institute for Health Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including localised population-based genetic research studies. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Cancer: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether discussions have taken place between NHS England and the pharmaceutical industry on the ongoing review of the operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Steve Brine: We have been informed by NHS England that regular meetings are held with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry where the Cancer Drugs Fund is discussed.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to invest in the mammography workforce to improve the rate and level of breast-screening provision.

Steve Brine: Health Education England published its first ever Cancer Workforce Plan in December 2017, which commits to the expansion of capacity and skills. This includes investing in 300 reporting radiographers by 2021 to support an increase in the capacity for earlier diagnosis.

Haematological Cancer: Mental Health Services

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people with blood cancer that will be referred into the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies integrated pathway as a result of the NHS Digital pilot data, published on 10 May 2018.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans NHS Digital has to publish information on the types of cancer referred into the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies  (IAPT) pathway for people with long-term health conditions in the statistical releases entitled, Psychological therapies: reports on the use of IAPT services.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care what plans he has to make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies pathway for people with long-term health conditions for people affected by blood cancer.

Steve Brine: NHS England has not specified estimates of individual conditions for referral into the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) integrated pathway. Local commissioning groups decide which pathways they integrate with based on their local prevalence and local intelligence data. Similarly, the NHS Digital IAPT dataset does not collect information on patients with a diagnosis of cancer, or types of cancer. There are currently no national plans to assess the effectiveness of the IAPT long-term health conditions pathway on people affected specifically by blood cancer. However there is robust evidence that by using the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved psychological therapies in addressing the mental health issues of those people with long term conditions earlier, talking therapies help to improve patients’ health outcomes so that they become less reliant on primary and emergency care and importantly, help patients to self-manage their long-term conditions more confidently.

Haematological Cancer: Mental Health Services

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the General Practice Forward View, what estimate he has made of the number of people with blood cancer that will have access to the 3,000 mental health therapists co-located in GP surgeries; and whether those therapists will be provided with specific training on blood cancer.

Steve Brine: No such estimate has been made. Mental health therapists are not specifically trained on blood cancer as a condition, however cancer as a general condition forms part of the training which aims to enable experienced psychological well-being practitioners and high intensity therapists to deliver National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended treatments for people presenting to Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services with long-term physical conditions such as diabetes, cardiac disease, respiratory disease, and cancer with accompanying low mood and/or anxiety. The training focuses on high intensity and low intensity approaches to support people with mental health problems and physical long-term conditions or persistent and distressing medically unexplained symptoms.

Cancer: Mental Health Services

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether access to psychological support under the Cancer Recovery Package will be provided through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies pathway for people with long-term physical health conditions.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which Cancer Alliances Groups are providing the cancer recovery package; and whether it is being provided to all people diagnosed with cancer in those areas.

Steve Brine: Psychological support for cancer is a specialised area and is often offered within cancer teams via health psychology teams. Adults experiencing all forms of cancer are able to access Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services which provide evidence-based psychological therapies for people with anxiety disorders and depression. Recovery Package interventions will help ensure patients have more personal care and support from the point they are diagnosed. Two of the key interventions within the Recovery Package, the Health Needs Assessment and Care Plans, will enable patients to be sign-posted or referred to psychological support, where necessary. Personalised follow up and support to help people live well with and beyond cancer is one of the key strategic priorities in the Cancer Strategy for England, which aims to create world class cancer services. NHS England will roll out Recovery Package interventions nationally by 2020 so they are available to all cancer patients across the country regardless of location. All Cancer Alliances are receiving funding in 2018/19 to support implementation of the Recovery Package.

General Practitioners: Yorkshire and the Humber

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP trainees began training in (a) York and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber in the most recent year for which statistics are available.

Steve Brine: We do not hold data on the number of general practitioner (GP) trainees who started training in York and Yorkshire and the Humber. The number of GP registrars working in general practice in the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS England North (Yorkshire and the Humber) in September 2017 is presented in the following table. This may not represent all trainee GPs in these regions as they do not spend the entirety of their training as a GP registrar working in general practice. The remaining time is spent training in hospitals.  GP Registrars (Full Time Equivalent (FTE))GP Registrars (Headcount)NHS Vale of York CCG1213NHS England North (Yorkshire and Humber)244277 Notes: 1. Figures contain estimates for the 5.4% of practices that did not provide fully valid GP data. 2. FTE refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. 1 would indicate they work a full set of hours, 0.5 that they worked half time. 3. Figures shown do not include GPs working in Prisons, Army Bases, Educational Establishments, Specialist Care Centres including Drug Rehabilitation Centres and Walk-In Centres. Data as at 30 September Source: NHS Digital

General Practitioners: York

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP trainers were registered in York in the most recent year for which information is available; and how many were so registered five years ago.

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure there are appropriate GP training facilities in York.

Steve Brine: The York general practitioner (GP) specialty training scheme is well established, respected, evaluated and popular with those choosing to train to become GPs. It attracted higher than regional-average fill rates in the last round of GP recruitment. The scheme has three experienced training programme directors (TPD) that are responsible for the support and delivery of teaching and training for trainees at weekly group sessions, as well as the planning and delivery of training rotations in the area, and support for local GP trainers. The ratio of TPD sessions to trainees is higher than the average for Yorkshire and the Humber. The training scheme usually operates from postgraduate education centre at York District Hospital. There have been recent renovations to this facility and there is a current period of adaptation and re-organisation, which Health Education England is supporting locally, to make the facilities ideal for all parties. GP trainers are responsible for the day-to-day supervision of trainee GPs who are on placements in practices. In the year August 2016 to July 2017 there were 34 headcount GP trainers linked to the York GP Speciality Training Programme. Data held prior to this period is not comparable.

NHS Trusts: Contracts

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Departments policy is on clinical commissioning groups levying fines on NHS Trusts that fail to meet contractual targets.

Steve Brine: The NHS Standard Contract, which is used by clinical commissioning groups for all contracts with hospital providers of National Health Service healthcare services, sets out the consequences of breaches of the waiting time standards and other requirements. In many cases, this consequence is in the form of a financial sanction. Where a provider breaches a national standard set out in the Contract, prior to April 2016 it was mandatory, under the Contract, for the commissioner to apply the relevant financial sanction. This changed from April 2016, when the application of the principal sanctions (for accident and emergency waiting times, cancer waiting times and waiting times for elective care) being suspended for those NHS trusts and foundations trusts in the national Sustainability and Transformation Fund (STF). Trusts which signed up to the conditions of the STF, including in particular the delivery of a financial control total, were exempted from sanctions. Since April 2018, the arrangement has remained similar in principle, although the STF has now been renamed the Provider Sustainability Fund (PSF) and the range of sanctions suspended has been broadened. The great majority of trusts have signed up to the STF/PSF conditions since April 2016 and have been protected from financial sanctions as a result.

General Practitioners: Stoke on Trent

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase the number of GPs in Stoke-on-Trent.

Steve Brine: Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) have developed a workforce strategy and plan for the area. This focuses on increasing the numbers of general practitioners (GPs), and also in diversifying the skill mix within general practice, to include clinical pharmacists, advanced nurse practitioners, nurses, physician associates, urgent care practitioners, mental health therapists and physiotherapists, to provide high quality care for patients through alternative health professionals. Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Sustainability and Transformation Partnership successfully bid to be an early wave site for GP international recruitment, which is to commence in July 2018. A number of newly-qualified GPs have also been recruited to the area through a GP Fellowship scheme, which enables GPs to develop areas of specialist clinical interest. In 2018 there are also up to 18 £20,000 salary supplements available to GP trainees who commit to working for their three year speciality training in Stafford and Staffordshire as part of the Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme. The CCGs are also working with the BMJ to develop a marketing campaign to raise the profile of Staffordshire as a place to work and increase the recruitment rate for General Practice. The campaign will be for 12 months and is planned to start by early July 2018. Schemes to improve GP retention are also currently being scoped in preparation to submit a bid for NHS England funding by the end of June 2018.

Liver Cancer

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) survival rates and (b) research into liver metastasis.

Steve Brine: Cancer is a priority for this Government and survival rates are at a record high. Since 2010 rates of survival from cancer have increased year-on-year. Around 7,000 people are alive today who would not have been had mortality rates stayed the same as in 2010. The Department invests £1 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). NIHR cancer research expenditure has risen from £101 million in 2010/11 to £137 million in 2016/17. This constitutes the largest investment in a disease area. The NIHR is funding and supporting a range of research relevant to liver metastases. This includes, for example, a £1.76 million trial of liver resection surgery versus thermal ablation for colorectal liver metastases, and early research on specialised magnetic resonance imaging scanning to detect liver metastases in colorectal cancer.

NHS: West Midlands

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to address NHS workforce shortages in the West Midlands.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the speciality staff workforce in the NHS; and what steps he is taking to ensure that vacancies in that workforce are filled as quickly as possible.

Stephen Barclay: Locally, responsibility for assessing and managing staffing levels, including specialty staff, rests with individual National Health Service trusts and their boards who are best placed to decide how many staff they need to provide a given service. ‘Facing the Facts – Shaping the Future – a draft health and care workforce strategy for England to 2027’, sets out actions being taken to ensure sufficient supply of staff across all grades and specialties, including an expansion of undergraduate medical school places and expansions of available nursing and midwifery training places. In addition, NHS Improvement has launched a programme to improve staff retention in trusts across England and bring down the leaver rates in the NHS by 2020. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care also announced measures to support staff recruitment and retention, including arrangements to support flexible working to help staff to balance work-life commitments and a 'Homes for Nurses' scheme — which will give 3,000 NHS workers first refusal on affordable housing generated through the sale of surplus NHS land.

Doctors: Migrant Workers

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on the number of overseas doctors coming to work in the NHS of placing new applicants to the Medical Training Initiative on a revised waiting list from countries not considered priority as identified by the Department for International Development.

Stephen Barclay: The main focus of the Medical Training Initiative (MTI) is to provide training opportunities for doctors from the Department for International Development (DfID) and Lower Income and Lower Middle Income priority countries. There are 1,000 MTI Certificate of Sponsorships available per year and the majority of these will be allocated to applicants from countries on the DfID approved priority list and Lower Income and Lower Middle Income priority countries. Applicants from countries not considered DfID priority or Lower Income and Lower Middle Income countries may still apply for the MTI. If there is any remaining capacity at the end of each month having processed all applications from DfID priority and Lower Income and Lower Middle Income countries, other applicants will be awarded a Certificate of Sponsorship taken in order of the receipt of their application.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the calls the breast cancer screening helpline has received were from someone whose screening invitation was not sent and have had a screening appointment offered as a result of that call; and how many such appointments have taken place.

Steve Brine: The screening helpline had handled a total of 50,163 calls and received 26,423 requests for screens as of 10 June 2018. The total number of appointments for mammography offered to 5 June 2018 is 31,508, with younger women being invited directly rather than through the helpline. The link between calls and mammograms completed is complex and data cannot be compared directly. Therefore the helpline data for women who have subsequently attended for a mammogram will be finalised later in the year.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has contacted any next of kin for women who had their lives shortened as a result of missing their breast cancer screening.

Steve Brine: Public Health England has not yet made contact with any next of kin as patient details are under review in order to ensure that correct identification of the affected group takes place.

Breast Cancer

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the regional differences in breast cancer (a) rates and (b) outcomes.

Steve Brine: NHS England has established 19 Cancer Alliances across the country to bring together influential local decision-makers, reduce variation in the availability of good care and treatment for all people with cancer, including breast cancer, and deliver continuous improvement and reduction in inequality of experience. NHS England has committed to providing Cancer Alliances with £200 million in transformation funding over two years to undertake initiatives to diagnose cancer earlier and improve the lives of people living with cancer. NHS England and Public Health England have also set up the Cancer Alliance Data, Evidence and Analysis Service to help drive evidence-based local decisions in the delivery of improved cancer outcomes, using a whole pathway and cross-organisational approach.

Learning Disability

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of the transfer of alerts relating to patients with learning difficulties between different health care providers.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS England is working in partnership with NHS Digital to develop a reasonable adjustment flag to be added to the medical records of patients with a learning disability. This will alert clinicians across the health service to an individual’s specific needs, allowing them to make reasonable adjustments, and see what adjustments have already been made, to facilitate a more bespoke approach for the individual to access healthcare more easily. Reasonable adjustment flags will support the implementation of the Accessible Information Standard, which sets out a specific, consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing and meeting the information and communication support needs of service users, and which all organisations providing National Health Service care are legally required to follow.

Influenza

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many flu-confirmed hospital admissions there were in each year since 2010-11.

Steve Brine: Data are not collected on the total number of cases from all acute trusts in England. The following table shows the number of hospitalisations for severe influenza over eight influenza seasons in England from 2011/12 (when data was available) to 2017/18. The 2017/18 season experienced the highest rate to date with almost 10,000 confirmed cases observed, translating to approximately 90 cases per 100,000 trust catchment population. A similar picture was observed in a number of other European countries. The 2017/18 data for England is being investigated further to understand factors driving this increase. Number of hospitalisations for severe influenza over eight influenza seasons in England from 2011/12-2017/18. Number of reporting TrustsTotal Number of flu confirmed hospitalised cases (all levels of care)2010/11*231,6512011/12345512012/13321,4002013/14359062014/15321,7382015/16272,7812016/17221,5752017/18**259,996 Notes: *Data for the 2010/11 season was only available up to week 10 of 2011. **Data for the 2017/18 season is truncated to week 15 to allow for end of season reporting. Annual data based on final weekly extracts are included in the 2017/18 annual report (see Figure 14), available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-flu-reports The final extracts from each season may not necessarily reflect the numbers published in previous annual reports. The data are based on returns from a core set of sentinel acute National Health Service trusts (approximately 25-30) providing weekly aggregate number on laboratory confirmed influenza admitted to hospital to all levels of care (critical care and other wards).

Endoscopy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of patients waited more than six weeks for an endoscopy test in each year since 2010-11.

Stephen Barclay: Data is not available in the format requested. NHS England collects and publishes monthly data on waiting times and activity for diagnostic tests, including endoscopy tests which encompass four tests: colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, cystoscopy and gastroscopy. Data on how many, and what proportion of patients waited more than six weeks for these tests from 2010-11 to 2017-18 is available in the attached table.



PQ151173 attached data
(Excel SpreadSheet, 28.81 KB)

NHS: Staff

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total cost to NHS hospitals was of using (a) agency staff and (b) bank staff in each year since 2010-11.

Stephen Barclay: Comparable figures for agency expenditure are available from 2012-13 in the following table.Year£ million2012-132,1132013-142,5892014-153,1902015-163,6352016-172,9352017-182,407 Comparable figures for bank staff expenditure are available from 2015-16 in the following table.Year£ million2015-161,7682016-172,5112017-182,935

Obesity

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Obesity Review Group last met.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role the Obesity Review Group has played in shaping the child obesity strategy due to be released.

Steve Brine: The Obesity Review Group last met in January 2015 and is no longer active.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Abortion

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent estimate she had made of the amount of funding her Department has allocated to financing abortions; and if she will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: By helping the world’s poorest women access modern contraception, we will prevent an estimated 6 million unintended pregnancies and 3 million abortions on average each year.Family planning reduces, but on its own does not eliminate, the backstreet abortions that kill women. So, where this is not against local law, the UK will consider supporting access to safe abortion in the world’s poorest countries. UK aid cannot be used to fund illegal services.DFID supports a wide range of reproductive health services designed around women’s needs, promotion of reproductive health services to prevention and management of consequences of abortion. DFID includes this entire range of services under “reproductive health care spend” in accordance with the OECD-DAC purpose codes for tracking ODA spend. For this reason, costs and numbers of particular individual procedures are not available.

Rwanda: Overseas Aid

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of Rwanda’s progress on the goals outlined in the revised 2012 UK-Rwanda Memorandum of Understanding.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK and Rwanda signed a Development Partnership Agreement in 2017, which includes commitments to a set of partnership principles. We assess that the Government of Rwanda continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to poverty reduction, economic and social rights, anti-corruption and sound public financial management. Commitment to civil and political rights and domestic accountability is limited and we remain particularly concerned about civil and political rights.

Rwanda: Overseas Aid

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the implications for UK aid to Rwanda of that country's £30 million sponsorship of Arsenal football club.

Harriett Baldwin: No UK aid money was used for Visit Rwanda’s deal with Arsenal football club, which the Government of Rwanda has made clear is funded from tourism revenue. All UK aid to Rwanda is earmarked for specific programmes, such as education and agriculture, and is subject to robust monitoring to ensure it is achieving results and value for money for the UK taxpayer.

Developing Countries: Food

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help eradicate world hunger.

Alistair Burt: DFID puts the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2) to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture, at the centre of our work to eradicate extreme poverty, deliver inclusive economic development and build resilience. Spend through our bilateral and multilateral agriculture programmes to reduce hunger and under-nutrition has increased, from £243million (2012) to £484 million (2015) and roughly £600 million in 2016. We are also working to shape the multilateral agenda. The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program harness both public and private investments for SDG2 and implements through a range of multilateral institutions. DFID is a global leader in addressing acute hunger through humanitarian and famine relief. DFID has also committed to improve the nutrition of 50 million people overseas by 2020 and published a Position Paper setting out our plans. Total spend on nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programmes has increased, from £304 million (2012) to £667 million (2015). We are also supporting robust monitoring of progress against the agreed indicators for SDG2 to be achieved by 2030.

Developing Countries: Slavery

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister of State of 18 April 2018, Official Report, column 307, what progress her Department has made on establishing a business hub to support the implementation of section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Harriett Baldwin: Good progress has been made on the establishment of the Business Integrity Hub working closely with the Department for International Trade and Foreign and Commonwealth Office. DFID has engaged with over 80 companies to help businesses integrate analysis and management of integrity issues, including modern slavery, into their strategies for doing business in developing countries. The Hub will be operational later this year. Home Office are the lead department for the implementation of section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. The Business Integrity Hub will not directly support implementation of section 54 but will contribute to the legislation’s objective to increase transparency in supply chains. It will do so by linking businesses with DFID’s Responsible Accountable Transparent Enterprise (RATE) programme for advice on ethical supply chain management.

North Korea: Humanitarian Aid

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has had discussions with the Government of North Korea on the  provision of humanitarian assistance to that country; and if she will make statement.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State has had no discussions with the Government of the Democratic Republic of North Korea (DPRK) on the provision of humanitarian assistance. The Department for International Development does not provide aid directly to DPRK.

Yemen: Ports

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has made an assessment of the humanitarian effect on the local population of a military assault on Hodeida port in Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition.

Alistair Burt: The UN assess that an attack on Hodeidah could displace up to 350,000 people and leave hundreds of thousands of Yemenis without access to basic goods, water or healthcare. 17.8 million people in Yemen already lack reliable access to food – 8.4 million of which face extreme food shortages. UN estimates suggest any long closure of Hodeidah port is likely to put over 3 million more people at risk of starvation. The UK government has been clear in expressing its concerns to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates about any attack on Hodeidah. We urge all parties to the conflict to exercise restraint and to continue to facilitate access for essential commercial and humanitarian imports of food, fuel and medical supplies into the country, including through Hodeidah port.

Department for Education

Education: Finance

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that the widening participation funding is deployed effectively.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the proportion of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds attending university.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Widening participation in higher education remains a priority for this government. We want everyone with the potential to have the opportunity to benefit from a university education, regardless of background or where they grew up.University application rates for 18 year olds to full-time study remain at record levels. The proportion of disadvantaged 18 year olds entering full time higher education has increased from 13.6 per cent in 2009 to 20.4 per cent in 2017. Building on this our major review of post-18 education and funding will consider how disadvantaged students receive maintenance support both from government and from universities and colleges and how we can ensure they have equal opportunities to progress and succeed in all forms of post-18 education. We have set up the Office for Students (OfS) with powers to drive forward improvements in access and participation and we have asked the OfS to do more to maximise the impact of spending in this area. In their business plan the OfS plans to evaluate the return on investment on access and participation. We have also asked the OfS to set up an Evidence and Impact Exchange to improve the impact and value for money of providers’ access and participation expenditure.In addition, through the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, we have introduced the Transparency Duty requiring registered higher education providers to publish data on application, offer, acceptance, dropout and attainment rates of students by ethnicity, gender and socio-economic background. This will hold the sector to account for their record on access and retention of students from lower socio-economic backgrounds and shine a light on where they need to go further.

Higher Education: Admissions

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of (a) the proportion of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and (b) the number of BAME students entering higher education in each of the last three years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) publish data on the proportion of 18 year olds entering full-time undergraduate higher education by disadvantage and ethnic group here: https://www.ucas.com/corporate/data-and-analysis/ucas-undergraduate-releases/ucas-undergraduate-analysis-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-reports.The requested information is summarised in the tables below.Table 1 – Entry rates for English 18 year olds by POLAR quintile, a measure of educational disadvantage.POLAR Quintile201520162017Q1 - Most Disadvantaged18.5%19.5%20.4%Q225.1%26.2%26.9%Q330.5%31.5%32.5%Q436.2%37.2%37.6%Q5 - Least Disadvantaged44.9%46.3%47.1%   Table 2 - Entry rates for English 18 year old state school pupils by ethnic groupEthnic Group201520162017Asian42.3%44.1%45.8%Black38.4%39.1%40.4%Chinese61.0%60.8%63.0%Mixed32.3%33.4%34.0%White27.9%28.9%29.3%Any other ethnic group36.8%38.0%40.1% The data shows disadvantaged 18 year olds and those from a BME background are more likely to enter full-time undergraduate courses than ever before.Entry rates have been provided as they take account of demographic changes, enabling direct comparison over time and between different ethnic groups. However, data is also available on the number of students (of all ages) entering higher education by ethnic group and UK country of domicile who applied by the UCAS June application deadline here: https://www.ucas.com/file/139481/download?token=X4hqD5Ms.

Stem Cells: Donors

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including information on stem cell donation in the national curriculum.

Nick Gibb: Pupils are taught about stem cells in the new key stage 4 science curriculum, GCSE combined science and GCSE biology. The national curriculum is compulsory in maintained schools and it can be used as a benchmark by academies and free schools. It focuses on the essential knowledge in each subject, which allows teachers to take greater control over the wider curriculum in schools. Science content in the curriculum includes the function of stem cells and the potential benefits and risks associated with the use of stem cells in medicine. Teachers are free to use this as an opportunity to inform pupils about stem cell donation.The key stage 4 science curriculum and science GCSEs were reformed with input from subject experts and taught from September 2016. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced in April 2018 that the Government will not change the national curriculum or current GCSE content for the rest of this parliament. This decision was taken to promote stability for schools and teachers.

Students: Housing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department provides guidance to further education institutions on the sale of land for student accommodation to private developers.

Anne Milton: Further Education Colleges were incorporated as independent institutions in 1993, taking ownership of their land, buildings and reserves from local authorities. As independent institutions, they are responsible for managing their own estates in accordance with the Further Education Colleges Financial Memorandum. The Education and Skills Funding Agency does not have any role in decisions made to sell assets other than managing previous capital grant investment, where applicable.

Students: Married People

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) women and (b) men who have progressed into higher and further education who were married before the age of 18 years for each year for which such information is available.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information is not held centrally.

Schools: Mobile Phones

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department provides to schools on the use and possession by pupils of smartphones and tablets (a) in schools and (b) during classes.

Nick Gibb: Schools can choose to ban or limit the use of smart phone or tablets on school premises during the school day. Schools should make any policies on smart phones or tablets known to all staff, pupils and parents. These policies should outline any sanctions that will be imposed if pupils break these rules.The Bennett Review of behaviour in schools includes a chapter about the use of technology in schools and case studies of policies in place. The report, which was published last year, can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-in-schools.

Princess Alexandra Hospital Harlow

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have undertaken a nursing apprenticeship at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have undertaken a nursing apprenticeship in Essex in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have undertaken a nursing apprenticeship in Hertfordshire in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have undertaken a nursing apprenticeship in the East of England in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18.

Anne Milton: The department has published a framework/standard tool which shows there have been 40,650 apprenticeship starts for the Health, Public Services and Care subject area in the 2017/18 academic year, reported to date in England: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships.We are wanting to increase the number of nursing apprenticeships and now have a complete apprentice pathway from entry level to postgraduate advanced clinical practice in nursing. This is a huge achievement in supporting people from all backgrounds to enter a nursing career in the National Health Service.Registered Nurse (degree) apprenticeship standard was approved for delivery on 9 May 2017. There were 20 total starts on the Registered Nurse (degree) apprenticeship in the 2017/18 academic year, of which 10 were started in the East of England. There were no other starts reported for this standard in the 2016/17 academic year, or within the Essex or Hertfordshire local authorities.We have also created a new programme for nursing associate apprentices to broaden the routes into the profession. 5,000 starts are planned in 2018, with a further 7,500 in 2019.We are working closely with employers and Health Education England to make sure the National Health Service are fully supported to recruit apprentices, both in nursing and a range of other occupations.We publish starts for training providers when data is finalised for the full academic year. There were no starts for the Princess Alexandra hospital as a training provider for 2016/17.Provider data for 2016/17 is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-local-authority-tables. Data for 2017/18 will be published in November 2018.We do not hold the information that we treat as the verified identity of an individual’s employer, so it is not possible to state how many apprentices were employed by the Princess Alexandra hospital.

Hugh Ind

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the (a) Secretary of State for the Home Department and (b) Minister for the Cabinet Office on the appointment of Mr Hugh Ind to lead the public sector apprenticeship strategy.

Anne Milton: Holding answer received on 11 June 2018



I look forward to meeting Hugh Ind in the near future, following his Civil Service appointment in the Cabinet Office. His appointment will support our ambition to increase the number of apprentices the public sector employs and help it access the skills needed to deliver high quality public services. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not had any discussions about this appointment.

Teachers: Training

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department plans to include in the autism module that will be included in initial teacher training; and when delivery of that module will be commenced.

Nick Gibb: Teachers are required to have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including autism, as part of the Teachers' Standards. In July 2016, the Department published a new framework for initial teacher training (ITT) content, which involves specific content on SEND, including autism. As part of ITT provider inspections, Ofsted has due regard to the Teachers’ Standards and framework of core content. 99% of all ITT partnerships inspected by Ofsted were judged to be either good or outstanding at their most recent inspection.The Government does not prescribe the content of ITT courses. It is for ITT providers to use their judgement to determine the content and structure of courses. They must be designed so that teacher trainees can demonstrate that they meet all of the Teachers' Standards at the appropriate level.The Department has funded the Autism Education Trust (AET) since 2011 to deliver autism training to existing early years, schools and post-16 education staff in England. The AET has now trained more than 175,000 education staff to encourage a whole school approach to supporting children and young people with autism. In March 2018, the Department extended this contract by a further two years.

Schools: Admissions

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2018 to Question 145341, on schools: admissions, to which educational establishments the 28 requests and the 4 formal interventions relate.

Nick Gibb: Due to the sensitive nature and low volume of these cases, it would not be appropriate to name the individual academies due to the risk that already vulnerable children could be identified from the information.

Wakefield City Academies Trust

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2019 to Question 135939, on Wakefield City Academies Trust, how many of the schools formerly within the Wakefield City Academies Trust have now been placed with new trusts.

Nadhim Zahawi: We have confirmed new trusts for 20 of the 21 Wakefield City Academy Trust (WCAT) schools. Fifteen of these schools have transferred to their new trusts. We are working with all involved to transfer the remaining six academies as soon as possible. Many of the new trusts have an agreement with WCAT to provide school improvement support for schools that are yet transfer. This support is enabling pupils to benefit from an outstanding trust immediately, ahead of the transfer.

Apprentices: Employment

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of apprenticeship starts involved people (a) already employed by their employer and (b) recruited by their employer in order to undertake an apprenticeship in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The department does not hold this information for the last 12 months.We conducted the 2017 apprenticeship evaluation learner survey, which found 56 per cent of all level 2 and 3 apprentices were recruited specifically with the intention of completing an apprenticeship. Just over two-fifths of level 2 and 3 apprenticeships (42 per cent) were undertaken by those in existing roles already working for their employer: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeships-evaluation-2017-learners-survey.The 2017 apprenticeship evaluation employers’ survey found that 60 per cent of employers provided their apprenticeships to people who were recruited specifically to start an apprenticeship, with the training starting straight away. A smaller group of employers (10 per cent) had provided apprenticeships to people who were recruited with the intention that they would start an apprenticeship, but the training did not start immediately. 32 per cent provided apprenticeships to existing employees that were already working for them; this excludes any recruited with the intention of starting an apprenticeship: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeships-evaluation-2017-employers-survey.

Academies: Expenditure

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which trusts have been allocated funding through the multi-academy trust Development and Improvement fund, and how much funding each trust was given.

Nadhim Zahawi: In line with the department’s normal practice, details of the recipients of the Multi-Academy Trust Development and Improvement Fund will be published on GOV.UK later this year.

Ministry of Justice

Reoffenders: Alternatives to Prison

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2018 to Questions 142392, 142807, 142808, 142809, 142810, 142811, 142812, 142813, 142814, 142815 and 142816, on Re offenders: Alternatives to Prison, what the sentence listed as other was in each category.

Rory Stewart: A sentence listed as 'other' is any disposal other than immediate custody, a suspended sentence, a community sentence, an absolute or conditional discharge, or a fine. The details of the ‘other’ sentences imposed were set out in Lucy Frazer’s response to Question 145563 at HC Deb, 29 May 2018, cW.

Prisons: Smoking

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents of (a) violence and (b) disturbance there has been in each prison since the implementation of the smoking ban.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of violence in prisons between (a) inmates and (b) inmates and prison staff since the implementation of the ban on tobacco.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons that have implemented a ban on smoking tobacco have put in place special measures including increased security to manage prisoners’ behaviour.

Rory Stewart: The information requested in 149636 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost as the implementation of smoke-free prisons was rolled out at different times. An analysis was carried out earlier this year on the impact of the tobacco ban on Prison Safety and Security. There is no conclusive evidence of an increase in violence in prisons attributable to the tobacco ban. No additional security measures have been implemented in any prison following the implementation of the tobacco ban.

Modern Slavery Act 2015: Prosecutions

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of people prosecuted under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Lucy Frazer: The number of defendants prosecuted under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in England and Wales, from 2015 to 2017, can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/707811/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2017.xlsxSearch ‘offence’ for ‘106 Modern Slavery’. Figures for 2018 are planned for publication in May 2019.

Prisons: Construction

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress his Department has made with its prisons building programme.

Rory Stewart: The government set out its ambition for a reformed prison estate in the November 2016 Prison Safety and Reform White Paper. This included a commitment to build up to 10,000 modern prison places which will provide the conditions to enable governors to achieve better educational, training and rehabilitation outcomes.The government has since announced plans, subject to planning approvals, value for money and affordability, to build six modern prisons in the following locations:HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Glen Parva (redevelopment of closed prison);HM Prison Wellingborough (redevelopment of closed prison);on land adjacent to HM Prison Full Sutton in Yorkshire;Port Talbot in Neath;to redevelop HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Rochester in Kent; andHM Prison and Young Offender Institution Hindley in Greater Manchester.We have since received outline planning permission to build on land at Full Sutton and we are working with the relevant stakeholders to develop our proposals. We are in the process of applying for full planning permission to redevelop the former HM Prison Wellingborough and HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Glen Parva. Contracts have been signed with construction partners and demolition work will begin in the near future.We are also building a brand new houseblock at HM Prison Stocken, in Rutland, which will provide 206 modern places which we expect to be in operation by December this year

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2018 to Question 148957, what processes are in place to manage the contractual performance of (a) STC Milton Keynes Ltd and (b) G4S at Oakhill Secure Training Centre.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of its contractual obligations in respect of Oakhill Secure Training Centre STC Milton Keynes Ltd has met in each year since 2010.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, by what metrics the contractual performance of (a) STC Milton Keynes Ltd and (b) G4S at Oakhill Secure Training Centre are measured.

Rory Stewart: We have been clear that performance at Oakhill needs to improve and we are robustly monitoring performance against the contract and are clear that all options remain on the table. The Contract for Oakhill STC is between the Secretary of State for Justice and STC Milton Keynes Ltd (the Contractor), of which G4S is their Operating Sub-Contractor. We therefore do not have information on the proportion of contractual obligations that G4S has met. The Contract does not include Improvement Notices as a contractual remedy. Other mechanisms are in place to manage the contractual performance. The contract requires the Secretary of State for Justice’s approval to a change in Operating Sub-Contractor. To date this approval process has not been triggered. There is no intention to publish any of the YCS Monitoring Team’s findings.

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2018 to Question 148956, for what reasons his Department has decided not to publish the findings of its Monitoring team into Oakhill Secure Training Centre.

Rory Stewart: The Youth Custody Service (YCS) are working with the contractor and its operator G4S to make sure they take immediate steps to improve performance at Oakhill Secure Training Centre (STC). The YCS Monitoring team based at Oakhill STC produces a number of regular documents capturing the output of their work. These documents contain information that could be used to identify children and staff. They also capture soft intelligence which has not been triangulated and data that has not been verified to a standard necessary for publication. These are working documents feeding internal meetings and shaping the activities of the team and wider assurance. To ensure these documents are suitable for publication would require a change in working practices that may come at a detriment to the efficient delivery of their function.

Immigration: Appeals

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in how many immigration appeal cases the applicant had to represent themselves as a litigant in person in 2017.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the average waiting time was for a social security tribunal hearing for each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: Information about waiting times for Social Security and Child Support appeals (covering the period in question) is published on gov.uk and can be viewed using the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics

Tribunals

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to establish an MP hotline for the Tribunal Service for Members to raise constituency cases.

Lucy Frazer: There are no dedicated telephone lines for MPs to raise individual constituent Tribunal cases nor are there any policies currently planned intending to introduce one.

Knives: Crime

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who received a custodial sentence in the last five years for carrying a knife had been previously cautioned.

Rory Stewart: Between 2013 and 2017 there were 17,277 offenders who received a custodial sentence on their most recent sentencing occasion for carrying a knife. Of the 17,277, 413 had previously received a caution for carrying a knife prior to receiving a custodial sentence for carrying a knife on their latest sentencing occasion.

Treasury

Public Expenditure: Scotland

Luke Graham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any additional funding secured from the UK Government as a result of additional borrowing powers being triggered by the Scottish Fiscal Commission under the condition of a Scotland-specific economic shock is sent to the Scottish Government as a block or is administered directly by the UK Government.

Elizabeth Truss: Under the Scottish Government’s fiscal framework agreement, the Scottish Government can borrow up to £600m per year – within an overall limit of £1.75bn - for any observed or forecast shortfall in devolved or assigned tax receipts or demand-led welfare expenditure in the event of a Scotland-specific economic shock. Where this provision is triggered, the Scottish Government will be able to draw down resource borrowing from the National Loans Fund within the agreed limits as deemed appropriate to manage any volatility in their budgets.

Cash Dispensing: Older People

Danielle Rowley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of LINK’s proposed reduction in the ATM interchange fee on the ability of older people to access cash free of charge.

John Glen: The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. Government has been engaging and will continue to engage with the regulators and industry, including LINK, to ensure that it is maintained. At Spring Statement, Government also launched a public Call for Evidence on cash and digital payments which, amongst other things, seeks to find out how cash usage and need varies by demographics. The Government established the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) in 2015 with a statutory objective to ensure that the UK’s payment systems work in the interests of their users. As part of this, the PSR is monitoring developments within ATM provision. The PSR recently commissioned work to understand the impact on the provision of free-to-use ATMs that a reduction in interchange fees may have. A summary of the findings can be found on their website at this link: https://www.psr.org.uk/psr-focus/the-uk-atm-network/atm-impact-study. The Government has therefore not made its own assessment of the impact. The PSR have also set out three requirements of LINK: that LINK must maintain the current geographical spread of ATMs; that any changes made to interchange fees must be incremental to allow LINK to monitor the impact and take action if the impact is not as expected; and for a greater focus on LINK’s financial inclusion programme, to continue to fill gaps in the network. The PSR has committed to using its powers to act should LINK behave in a way that conflicts with its statutory objectives.

Students: Private Rented Housing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to The Guardian article entitled Revealed: the developers cashing in on privatisation of student housing, published on 27 May 2018, what his Department's policy is on private providers of student accommodation using offshore companies to minimise their tax liability, and whether his Department is taking steps to limit that practice.

Mel Stride: Like UK companies non-resident companies pay tax on their rental income from UK properties. There are commercial reasons for UK property being held through non-UK resident companies. However, the government has taken action to remove the tax advantages available from holding UK property through offshore companies. This action includes:making sure that offshore property developers are taxed on the profits they make from developing UK land;from April 2019 taxing non-residents on all the gains they make from UK land and buildings;and from April 2020, moving the taxation of rental income received by offshore companies from income tax to corporation tax will ensure that the same tax rules and tax rates will apply to property income no matter where the company is resident.This action will raise significant tax revenue, and will ensure a fairer system for taxing income and gains on UK property.

Students: Private Rented Housing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the tax liabilities of (a) private companies and (b) overseas investors that collect rental income from student accommodation.

Mel Stride: HMRC collects and holds information on income from property, including rental income, from companies, partnerships and individuals through company and self-assessment tax returns. However, information provided in tax returns is not detailed enough to isolate and identify rental income from student accommodation from other types of property income. Therefore it is not possible to identify businesses that collect rental income from student accommodation, or to make an estimate of their tax liabilities arising from such activities.

Life Insurance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has held recent discussions with the insurance industry on consumer rights relating to life insurance products; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: The government remains in regular discussion with the insurance industry, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and other interested parties on the functioning of the insurance industry in the UK. The government is focused on ensuring that everyone has access to suitable insurance products. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is directly responsible for regulating and supervising the financial services industry, including insurance firms. It sets the conduct standards required of insurers, which aim to ensure that consumers are treated fairly and can access appropriate insurance products.

Public Sector: Pensions

Laura Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on public service pensions of the judgment in relation to Mcloud v Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government is disappointed with the ruling of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in McCloud v. Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and has appealed the judgment to the Court of Appeal.

Customs Declaration Services Programme

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of the funding allocated from the public purse to HMRC to implement the Customs Declaration Service relates to (a) general staff costs and (b) the cost of contractors.

Mel Stride: The proportion of funding allocated by HMRC for general staff costs to implement the Customs Declaration Service is 18% of the total funding received.The amount HMRC pays contractors is commercially sensitive and cannot be disclosed. HMRC uses Crown Commercial Service frameworks to procure contractor resources to ensure competitive market rates.

Customs Declaration Services Programme

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many contractors are engaged by HMRC to work on the implementation of the Customs Declaration Service.

Mel Stride: HMRC currently has 63 contingent labour contractors working on the Customs Declaration Service. The number of contractors working on the programme has varied considerably over time. HMRC only employs contractors when there is a clearly identifiable skills gap that it cannot fill within the existing staff resources at its disposal.

Customs Declaration Services Programme

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average weekly fee is paid by HMRC to contractors working on the implementation of the Customs Declaration Service.

Mel Stride: The fees HMRC pays contractors are commercially sensitive. HMRC uses Crown Commercial Service frameworks to procure contractor resources to ensure competitive market rates.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Karin Smyth: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the total amount of outstanding Tax Credit overpayments which remain unrecovered by HMRC, for the most recent year for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: The total amount of tax credits debt owed to HMRC by March 2017 was £4.3 billion. This excludes debt being recovered through ongoing personal tax credits award. This figure can be found on page 25 of the HM Revenue and Customs Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17, which can be found at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/635587/HMRC_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2016-17_web_.pdfThe above figure for the amount of outstanding overpayments is also shown on page 191 of the above under Impairment (Provision).

Customs Unions

Rushanara Ali: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of HMRC of 23 May and 5 June 2018 to the Treasury Committee, whether he has seen briefing papers on the estimated figures of £17-20 billion on the costs of the maximum facilitation model; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of those estimates.

Mel Stride: The analysis to support the estimated £17-20 billion figure was published in a letter by the Chief Executive of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to the Treasury Select Committee on 5 June, 2018. The government is considering two approaches to a future customs relationship with the EU: a ‘new customs partnership’ and a ‘highly streamlined customs arrangement’. Ongoing analysis continues to support the development of both models.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Andy McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications of the findings of the report by Professor David Begg entitled Unintended Consequences of Freezing Fuel Duty, published on 1 June 2018, for the Government's policies on (a) transport, (b) road congestion, (c) air quality and (d) lost tax revenues.

Robert Jenrick: To support British households and businesses, at Autumn Budget 2017, the government froze fuel duty for the eighth successive year. Since public finances are based on the assumption that fuel duty will increase with RPI at every Budget, any increase below this represents a cost to the Exchequer. Successive freezes since 2011 have saved the average driver £620 compared to what it would have been with RPI increases.  Since 2011, the announced freezes to fuel duty have meant the Exchequer has not collected around £46 billion in revenues through to 2018-19. For the purposes of comparison, this is around twice as much as we spend on all NHS nurses and doctors each year.”

Cryptocurrencies

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) the UK financial technology sector and (b) the UK economy of the current regulatory approach to the UK cryptocurrency sector.

John Glen: The Government published the Fintech Sector Strategy on 22 March, which sets out the action we have taken to make the UK the best place to start and grow a fintech business, including setting out the current regulatory approach, and what else we plan to do to maintain this position. This strategy also looked at the impact of the Fintech sector on the UK economy. As part of the Fintech Sector Strategy, the Government established a Cryptoassets Taskforce, consisting of HM Treasury, the Bank of England, and the Financial Conduct Authority. This Taskforce is exploring the impact of cryptoassets, the potential benefits and challenges of the application of distributed ledger technology in financial services, and assessing what, if any, regulation is required in response. The Taskforce will report back by the end of summer.

Cryptocurrencies

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the policy of (a) Gibraltar, (b) Switzerland and (c) Malta on cryptocurrencies; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: The government has established a Cryptoassets Taskforce, consisting of HM Treasury, the Bank of England, and the Financial Conduct Authority. It is exploring the impact of cryptoassets, the potential benefits and challenges of the application of distributed ledger technology in financial services, and assessing what, if any, regulation is required in response. The Taskforce will report back by the end of summer. As part of this work, officials will be looking further at international approaches and working closely with our international counterparts, for example through the OECD and G20.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the financial loss to the public purse of the sale of RBS shares on 4 June 2018.

John Glen: The Government’s shareholding in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is managed at arm's length and on a commercial basis through UK Government Investments Ltd (UKGI), a company which is wholly owned by the government, with the objective of creating and protecting value for the taxpayer. On 5 June 2018, the Government concluded a second sale of its shareholding in RBS, restarting the phased return of the bank to full private ownership. The Government sold approximately 7.7% of the bank (925m shares) through an overnight accelerated bookbuild (ABB) process, raising just over £2.5bn for the taxpayer (at a price of 271p per share). This reduced the government shareholding to 62.4% (from 70.1% pre-sale). The Government should not be in the business of owning banks. The original intervention in RBS was undertaken to protect the financial stability of the UK economy, not to make a profit. With that objective achieved, the Government is delivering on its intention to return the shareholding to private ownership when market conditions allow and it represents value for money to do so. The proceeds of this sale will go towards reducing our national debt.

Funerals

Neil Gray: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to section 3.1 of his Department’s consultation entitled, Pre-paid funeral plans: call for evidence, published in June 2018, what the evidential basis is for the statement that the current framework of self-regulation in the funeral plan sector is not sufficient.

John Glen: The Funeral Planning Authority regulates 95% of the market. The FPA reviews registered providers’ compliance with its code of practice and has the power to terminate membership or levy a fine of up to £5,000 should a firm fail to adhere to its principals. These powers have never been used. Moreover, the voluntary nature of the FPA’s jurisdiction means it cannot prevent firms from trading, and that some firms are currently operating outside of regulation entirely. Where things do go wrong, consumers do not have access to adequate redress or arbitration services. HM Treasury has conducted meetings with several market participants who have indicated that the current framework of self-regulation is insufficient. Citizens Advice Scotland and Fairer Finance have published reports which analyse the pre-paid funeral plan market. The reports highlight numerous failings in the sector including a lack of clarity for consumers and high pressure and misleading sales activity.

Funerals

Neil Gray: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings his Department has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the content in the consultation entitled Pre-paid funeral plans: call for evidence, published in June 2018.

John Glen: HM Treasury has engaged extensively with the Financial Conduct Authority through a variety of channels in the run up to launching the Call for Evidence on the pre-paid funeral plan market.

Arts: National Insurance Contributions

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed abolition of Class 2 National Insurance Contributions on creators earning less than £6,205 per year.

Robert Jenrick: On November 2nd 2017, the Government announced a one year delay to the abolition of Class 2 National Insurance contributions (NICs) to allow time to engage with interested parties and Parliamentarians with concerns relating to the impact on self-employed individuals with low profits. The Government is considering these concerns, including those you have raised, and will respond in due course.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Domestic Violence: Victims

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what statutory duties local authorities have to ensure the protection of (a) male and (b) female victims of domestic abuse.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Local authorities have a duty under homelessness legislation to provide safe accommodation to a victim of domestic abuse who has had to flee their home. The Homelessness Statutory Code of Guidance provide local authorities with guidance on providing homeless services to people who experience domestic abuse or are at risk of domestic abuse.Stronger duties to secure accommodation exist for households who have a priority need for accommodation. Priority need may include someone who is vulnerable in some way as a result of ceasing to occupy accommodation because of violence from another person or threats of violence from another person which are likely to be carried out.Domestic violence and abuse can affect anyone regardless of their age, gender identity or reassignment, race, religion, class, sexual orientation and marital status. Housing authorities should bear in mind that the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 for public authorities apply to policies, practice and procedures relating to homelessness and domestic violence and abuse.Government has consulted on what more can be done to protect domestic abuse victims through the Domestic Abuse Bill, which closed on 31 May. We are currently analysing the 3,200 plus responses received and will carefully consider what future courses of action are necessary.

Social Rented Housing: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has identified all the buildings in the social housing sector that have aluminium composite cladding systems which need to be replaced.

James Brokenshire: The Department believes that it has identified all residential buildings in the social sector (local authority and housing association-owned) over 18 metres with aluminium composite material cladding that does not meet the requirements set out in building regulations guidance.We are in regular contact with local authorities and housing associations and will update our records and monthly data release, as well as work with those responsible for the buildings to ensure interim safety measures are put in place, if any new buildings are identified.

Local Plans

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities in England have completed a local plan.

Dominic Raab: In the 14 years since the current plan making regime was introduced, 280 authorities have adopted a plan with 58 authorities yet to adopt. Of the 58 authorities yet to adopt a plan, 34 have submitted a plan that is now at examination, 6 have published a plan ahead of examination and 18 are yet to publish. Having an out of date plan is not an option and we will, when necessary, intervene to ensure that plans are put in place, so that communities are not disadvantaged by unplanned growth.

Planning Permission

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many planning applications rejected by their relevant planning authority have subsequently been granted by the Planning Inspectorate in each calendar year since 1 January 2011; and if he will publish that same data by planning authority.

Dominic Raab: The relevant information can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/planning-inspectorate-statisticsTable 2.4 gives overall planning appeals received and allowed back to 2010 (by financial year)Table 5.1 gives the local authority splits for Planning for the last financial year (2017/18 only)We also publish the entirety of our appeals data (in the interest of transparency) at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/planning-inspectorate-appeals-databasewhich is published every quarter and covers a rolling 5 years’ worth of appeal decisions.

Private Rented Housing: Licensing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to undertake a review of the selective licensing scheme framework.

James Brokenshire: The Department is committed to carrying out a review of selective licensing. The launch of the review will be announced in due course.

EU Grants and Loans

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the stakeholders that his Department is consulting with on the design of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timeframe is for the public consultation on the design of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which (a) organisations, (b) individuals and (c) others his Department as invited to respond to the public consultation on the design of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which stakeholders he has met with to discuss the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Jake Berry: We are keen to hear the views of all interested parties and have committed to consult publically on the design and priorities of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund later this year.

EU Grants and Loans

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the value of the funding that would be allocated to Wales through UK Shared Prosperity Fund in the event that the allocation was based on regional Gross Value Added.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on regional development of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund being allocated using the Barnett Formula.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment he has made of the level of funding planned to be allocated to Wales through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and  European structural funding.

Jake Berry: We have made no such assessment and all decisions on spending will be made at the Spending Review. The Government continues to work on the design and priorities of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

EU Grants and Loans

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of replicating the audit and compliance requirements of EU funding in the proposed UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allocating the UK Shared Prosperity Fund through a needs-based formula.

Jake Berry: The Government continues to work on the design and priorities of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

EU Grants and Loans

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce inequalities between communities across the four nations of the UK through the shared prosperity fund.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be directed in support of the priorities in the Industrial Strategy.

Jake Berry: We will create the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which will be designed to reduce inequalities between communities across our four nations as stated in the 2017 manifesto. The money that is spent will deliver sustainable, inclusive growth.

Housing: Construction

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many homes have been built on greenfield sites in each calendar year since 1 January 2011.

Dominic Raab: The Department does not specifically monitor the number of homes built on greenfield sites. It does, however, produce statistics on the estimated percentage of new residential addresses created on non-previously developed land. Figures for 2013-14 to 2017-18 are given in Live Table P301, which is available within the ‘2016-17 residential address change tables’ spreadsheet at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-land-use-change-statistics.The Government is continuing to identify ways to increase the take-up of brownfield land, especially for new homes, and ensure that suitable brownfield is prioritised for development. Since the end of 2016-17, almost all councils have published an easy-to-access register of brownfield land suitable for new homes, bringing many more sites to the attention of house builders, self-builders and investors. Our revised National Planning Policy Framework, on which we have consulted, urges the most effective use of land, including making as much use as possible of brownfield land. We are analysing the consultation responses.

Energy Performance Certificates: Public Buildings

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the (a) completion and (b) publication of the analysis of the feedback to his Department's public consultation of 11 February 2015 on improving the Display Energy Certificates regime for public buildings.

Dominic Raab: The consultation on display energy certificates was commissioned by the Coalition Government and was not pursued by the current Government. As set out in the Clean Growth Strategy, the Government plans to publish a call for evidence on trigger points for energy performance certificates and how they could be improved. Although focussed on energy performance certificates and on improving how we measure the energy performance of buildings, some of the issues to be covered in the call for evidence are likely to be relevant to display energy certificates also.

Buildings: Fire Prevention

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, that pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2018 to Question 147795 on buildings: fire prevention, when he plans to publish information on the locations of buildings identified as unlikely to meet current building regulations guidance.

James Brokenshire: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Planning Permission: Wildlife

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will revise his Draft National Planning guidance to afford local wildlife sites the presumption against development; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: This Government is committed to ensuring clarity around environmental protections in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). We engaged relevant stakeholders, including environmental organisations, during the consultation on the revised NPPF. The consultation closed on 10 May 2018 and we are currently considering responses. The revised NPPF and the Government’s response will be published this summer.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Answer of 29 May 2018 to Question 145539 on buildings: fire prevention, what plans he has to increase the testing of high-rise buildings with potentially dangerous cladding other than aluminium composite material cladding.

James Brokenshire: There are no plans to carry out any building specific testing but we have commissioned further research on the fire performance of external wall systems, which we expect to publish later this year. The advice note referred to in my earlier answer to Question UIN 145539 on 29 May 2018 sets out how building owners can assess the safety of other cladding systems for themselves, with appropriate expert advice.

Buildings: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 May 2018 to Question 145539, if he will allow samples of potentially dangerous cladding other than aluminium composite material cladding to be tested under the Government sponsored tests conducted by the Building Research Establishment.

James Brokenshire: The screening tests, sponsored by the Government, are designed specifically to identify the type of core material that has been used in an aluminium composite material panel. As such these tests would not be suitable for assessing other products. Instead, building owners with other types of cladding should consider the advice referenced in my earlier answer to Question UIN 145539 on 29 May 2018.A detailed explanation of the testing program is available on the Department’s website at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/624285/Safety_checks_explanatory_note_170630.pdf

Building Regulations

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken in response to the Cutland Report on the Central Administration of Competent Person Schemes since the Government's response to that report was published in October 2014.

James Brokenshire: The Cutland report made a number of recommendations on the operation of Building Regulations competent person schemes. As a result this Department revised the Conditions of Authorisation under which the schemes operate to make them more robust as to the competence of members and to provide enhanced consumer protection. In addition all schemes are now required to be accredited to a quality management standard ISO/IEC17065 and compliance with that standard is independently monitored by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 May 2018 to Question 141014 on Official Cars, how many civil servants have been provided with a chauffeured car to carry out their duties; and what the pay grade is of each of those civil servants.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: No Ministry of Defence civilians have been provided with a chauffeured car to enable them to carry out their duties.

Army Foundation College

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of students at AFC Harrogate from each postcode district.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Postcode district information, based on primary contact addresses, for recruits currently at AFC Harrogate is set out in the attached table. To limit disclosure and ensure confidentiality numbers of fewer than five are represented by '~'. Figures have also been rounded to the nearest 5. There are 21 Northern Ireland postcode districts currently represented at AFC Harrogate, in compliance with security requirements these have been grouped into one postcode area. 



Postcode District of AFC Harrogate Students
(Word Document, 35 KB)

Tornado Aircraft

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18th May 2018 to Question 142876 on Tornado Aircraft, if he will provided a copy of AL 1 of the relevant page, along with the actual dates of the  AL 1 and AL 2 introduction.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The minimum ejection height graphs provided in answer to question 142876 on Tornado aircraft have remained unchanged since January 2005. The change in the amendment status of the pages is purely as a result of editorial action on other pages or the re-issue of the section. There is, therefore, no difference between the AL1 and AL2 version of the page.AL1 was introduced in May 2006 and AL2 in May 2008.

Tornado Aircraft: Accidents

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place a copy of Part 2.9 (Schedule of Non Germane Information) of the Service Inquiry report into the Tornado collision over the Moray Firth in July 2012 in the Library.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I can confirm that the Ministry of Defence holds a copy of Part 2.9 (Schedule of Non Germane Information), which is currently being retrieved from our archives and will be placed in the Library of the House in due course.

Armed Forces: Catering

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the number of chefs in the armed forces of the UK leaving the EU.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence recognises that, given the number of non-UK employees in the catering and hospitality industry, any BREXIT impact in this sector could potentially affect the recruitment and retention of chefs in the Armed Forces.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Defence to the Public Accounts Committee on 4 June 2018, Q41 and Q135, for what reason his Department has not made any assessment of (a) the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the STEM ecosystem and (b) the potential consequential effect of changes in that ecosystem on recruitment to the armed forces; and what assessment his Department will now make of those issues.

Mark Lancaster: Following the EU Exit referendum, as part of the formulation of Ministry of Defence strategy, an assessment was undertaken of the potential impact of BREXIT on Armed Forces recruitment and retention. It concluded that BREXIT was unlikely to impact directly on Armed Forces recruitment, given our nationality requirements, but there could be a secondary impact should BREXIT increase demand for scarce skills in the UK. This could, indirectly, impact on Armed Forces recruitment and retention. The Ministry of Defence is preparing its comments on the Public Accounts Committee transcript of 4 June and will provide an appropriate clarification to the Committee.

Warships: Sunderland

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to secure an affiliation between a Royal Navy vessel and the city of Sunderland following the decommissioning of HMS Ocean in March 2018.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Royal Navy will inform Sunderland Council in due course regarding a future affiliation with the city.

Department for Work and Pensions

Crummock: Insolvency

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with the the Scottish Government on protecting workers pensions after Crummock went into receivership.

Guy Opperman: The UK has a well-established, effective and robust pensions rescue system. The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) was set up to pay compensation to members of defined benefit schemes where the sponsoring employer is insolvent. The PPF ensures that people above their scheme pension age receive 100 per cent of their pension, and those below their scheme’s normal pension age get 90 per cent of the accrued pension, subject to an overall cap. The Scottish Government has not approached the DWP on matters concerning the protection of workers’ pensions after Crummock went into receivership. The Independent Pensions Regulator that oversees pension schemes and operates within the legislative framework put in place by the Government, has wide ranging powers to take action where they have concerns.

Occupational Pensions: Central Suffolk and North Ipswich

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have a work-place pension as a result of auto-enrolment in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency.

Guy Opperman: In the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency, since 2012, approximately 11,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled and 1,820 employers have met their duties. Automatic enrolment is a great success story with more than 9.6 million workers enrolled into pension saving and over 1.2 million employers meeting their duties to date.

Employment: Young People

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to increase youth employment.

Alok Sharma: Youth unemployment has fallen by over 40% since 2010. Around 3.0 million young people have left full-time education and have successfully found work, with the employment rate for this group at 74.9%, up by 7.5 percentage points since 2010.The Youth Obligation Support Programme was introduced in April 2017 to provide intensive support for 18-21 year olds making a new claim to Universal Credit. This programme starts with an intensive activity period of workshops and interventions that encourages 18-21 year olds to think more broadly about their skills and job goals, helps them identify any training they need, and supports them to improve their job search, job application and interview skills.We also believe that early intervention is particularly important, which is why we have introduced Jobcentre Plus Support for Schools, which was trialled in 10 districts starting in February 2016 and rolled out nationally in England only from November 2016. It helps young people make a smooth and effective transition from school to work, training or further study. This support includes advice on the local labour market, ‘soft skills’ employers expect such as teamworking and resilience, job search skills such as CV writing and interview techniques, and the promotion of vocational routes into employment

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent information she holds on the number and proportion of people who drop out of the application process for universal credit after (a) an initial attempt to make an online claim and (b) an initial appointment with Jobcentre Plus staff.

Alok Sharma: a) For Universal Credit Full Service claims made (declared) in November 2017 from internal analysis carried out in March 2018:- 71% of claimants were paid.- 29% were closed and not paid. This could be for a variety of reasons, including ineligibility. b) For Universal Credit Full Service claims made (declared) in November 2017 from internal analysis carried out in March 2018:- 8% were closed and not paid, having attended at least one interview. Notes: This data is from DWP internal management information which does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the number of people failing or ceasing to claim universal credit as a result of the perceived complexity of the system.

Alok Sharma: This information is not held.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of universal credit claimants who are in employment are paid (a) monthly, (b) four-weekly, (c) fortnightly and (d) weekly.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. However, based on current numbers of Tax Credit claimants paid on particular patterns, we estimate the proportion of employees that are likely to be paid according to different pay frequencies once Universal Credit is fully rolled out to be: Monthly / four weekly: 69%Weekly: 26%Fortnightly: 3%

Personal Independence Payment: Cancer

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to review the personal independence payments applications process for cancer patients in order to backdate financial support from date of diagnosis.

Sarah Newton: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 June 2018 to Question UIN 148701.

Department for Work and Pensions: Standards

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what figures her Department collects on her Department's decision makers for the purposes of performance management; and whether those figures include the number of (a) decisions made, (b) mandatory reconsiderations and (c) decisions overturned on appeal.

Sarah Newton: We collect figures on the Department’s decision making in order to manage the throughput of work and level of service provided. That information does include the number of decisions made, mandatory reconsiderations and appeals. However, we don't collate information on individual decision makers for the purpose of performance management.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many face-to-face health assessment appointments have been cancelled by the supplier for (a) personal independence payments, (b) employment and support allowance and (c) universal credit in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not collated centrally by DWP and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2018 to Question 147881 on Universal Credit, what information his Department holds on the number of claimants of universal credit that are in rent arrears.

Kit Malthouse: Our published research shows that many people come onto Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears. We also know that arrears are usually temporary and the majority of claimants do succeed in paying their rent, managing their monthly payments and clearing their arrears over time. In our research, the proportion of Universal Credit claimants who were in arrears at the start of their claim fell by a third after four months. The research is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/481865/universal-credit-extended-gateway-evaluation.pdf To note, the relevant section is Page 33, Table 3.5. This report is from 2015.Additionally, research carried out by the National Federation of ALMOs shows over three quarters of their tenants come onto Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears. This research can be accessed at http://www.almos.org.uk/include/getDoc.php?did=7944&fid=9326. To note, the relevant section is page 10, section 3.We are currently carrying out further analysis of this issue with a number of housing providers, to investigate and understand the true level of rent arrears for their tenants and what is causing them. It will be published when completed. The recently published Universal Credit Full Service Claimant survey discusses claimants’ experience of managing Universal Credit and housing payments. It can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-full-service-claimant-survey

State Retirement Pensions: Terminal Illnesses

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2018 to Question 148620 on State Retirement Pensions: Terminal Illnesses, if she will take steps to enable people with confirmed (a) life-limiting conditions and (b) terminal illness to draw their state pensions early.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant the Answer of 6 June 2018 to Question 148621 on State Retirement Pensions: Terminal Illnesses, whether she has had discussions with charitable organisations for people with terminal-illnesses on the potential merits of enabling those people to draw their state pension early.

Guy Opperman: In 2016 John Cridland was appointed to conduct an independent review of State Pension age. This independent review was informed by consultation with a number of organisations, including on the subject of alternatives to a universal State Pension age. These organisations included dozens of charities and third sector organisations, which contributed to a written consultation and attended stakeholder events. A full list of contributors can be found at page 114 of the review, Smoothing the Transition, which is available on www.gov.uk. John Cridland’s conclusion was that there should not be early withdrawal of State Pension.The Government agrees with this recommendation. However, it is not the case that individuals will be left without support when they need it most. Anyone experiencing hardship, including problems such as unemployment, disability, and coping with caring responsibilities, can claim support from the welfare system. The welfare system provides a safety-net for those experiencing hardship, with a range of benefits tailored to individual circumstances. The Government is committed to supporting the vulnerable and spends around £50 billion a year on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions. There are special rules that apply to people diagnosed with a terminal illness, where as a consequence of that disease, their life expectancy is reasonably believed to be six months or less. They apply across Attendance Allowance (AA), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Universal Credit, and provide a guaranteed entitlement to benefit, with claims dealt with sensitively, without a face-to-face assessment and under a fast track process.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Flood Control: Expenditure

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the £700 million allocated in Spring Budget 2016 to boost spending on flood defences and resilience funded by the 0.5 per cent rise in Insurance Premium Tax has been (a) allocated and (b) spent.

David Rutley: Of the £700 million announced in the Spring Budget 2016 to boost spending on flood defences and resilience, £446.6 million has been allocated to Defra and £150.5 million to the Department for Transport. £406.6 million of this funding for Defra has been allocated for specific purposes to improve defences or better manage flood risk. We anticipate that a decision will be made by summer on the remaining £40 million. £117.9 million of the funding allocated to Defra had been spent by March and £73.7 million of the funding allocated to Department for Transport has been committed to be spent in 2018.

Game: Animal Welfare

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he last discussed steps to maintain the welfare of gamebirds with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

David Rutley: We have an ongoing dialogue with the Animal and Plant Health Agency on all animal welfare matters, including those relating to gamebirds.

Cereals: Exports

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the  Secretary of State for International Trade on the potential export market for UK grain after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: I am in regular discussions with the Trade Secretary and other Cabinet colleagues about the importance of maximising our UK trade opportunities globally across all farming, food and drink sectors. Our vision is for a productive, competitive UK agriculture sector, supplying products of the highest standard to the domestic market and increasing exports abroad.

Furs: Import Controls

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the potential to use Article 36 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which allows for trade restrictions on grounds of public morality among other reasons, to ban the import of animal fur while the UK is still a member of the Single Market.

George Eustice: The Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) places restrictions on the introduction of measures that impair the free movement of goods within the EU market. Where there are EU harmonising measures relevant to the movement of fur, including the Animal By-Products Regulation in respect of untreated fur and the Seal Products Regulation, any derogation from those in the form of a national restriction would need to meet the requirements of Article 114 of TFEU, or any specific safeguard measure included in the harmonising legislation. This would involve notifying the measures to the European Commission who would need to be satisfied that the issue is “specific to that Member State”, that it would not amount to a means of arbitrary discrimination or a disguised restriction on trade, or an obstacle to the functioning of the internal market. To introduce a ban in the absence of such consent where it is needed would breach Article 114 of TFEU. Article 36 provides potential justifications for overriding the prohibition on restrictions on imports and measures of equivalent effect between Member States. These justifications cannot be used legally, however, where the measure constitutes a means of arbitrary discrimination or a disguised restriction on trade between Member States or where the EU has legislated on the matter in question.

Soil

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to mitigate soil degradation caused by agricultural activities in the UK.

David Rutley: We are taking a range of actions to mitigate soil degradation caused by agricultural activities in England including through outcome-based cross-compliance soils rules and funding to protect soil through existing Environmental Stewardship agri-environment agreements and the Countryside Stewardship scheme. We introduced Farming Rules for Water in April which contain measures to protect soil including the appropriate application of fertilisers and the control of soil erosion. The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to replenish depleted soil and restore its fertility so that soils are managed sustainably by 2030. Future farming policy should incentivise sustainable farming practices that protect soil through our new system of public money for public goods.

Dogs

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has issued guidance to owners to encourage responsible dog ownership.

George Eustice: In April this year we updated the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs, made under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which provides owners and keepers with information on how to meet the welfare needs of their dogs as required by the 2006 Act. The statutory code is available on GOV.UK.

Seas and Oceans: Environment Protection

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the recommendation passed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature at is Congress in 2016 to increase the percentage of marine areas highly protected to 30 per cent by 2030 under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

David Rutley: As set out in the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, we will use the UK’s influence to build support for an ambitious post-2020 international biodiversity strategy through the Convention on Biological Diversity. This will include consideration of a wide range of scientific advice and information including the IUCN’s recommendation. The UK already has an excellent record on delivering Marine Protected Areas. We have protected over 23% of our mainland waters, exceeding the current international target of 10% set by the Convention on Biological Diversity and Sustainable Development Goal 14.

Seas and Oceans: Environment Protection

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 119 of his Department's 25 Year Environment Plan, published on 11 January 2018, what evidence he considered to inform the UK’s position on a post-2020 target for ocean conservation under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

David Rutley: Officials are currently working with partners domestically and internationally to create a robust evidence base to inform the post-2020 biodiversity agenda and develop ambitious, impactful and integrated targets for terrestrial, coastal and marine environments.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what is the (a) minimum and (b) maximum time permitted to complete the application process for (i) entry level stewardship and (ii) higher level stewardship for each region of England.

George Eustice: The Environmental Stewardship scheme closed to new applicants in 2014. There were no minimum or maximum time periods to complete the application process for the Entry Level or Higher Level Schemes as agreements could start in any month of the year. For the current scheme, Countryside Stewardship, EU law requires that all agreements take effect at the same date on 1 January. We have issued agreements in time to enable agreement holders to claim their first annual payment by the claim deadline. For 2018 this deadline is 15 June.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) capacity to introduce a replacement scheme for the Stewardship Programme after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: We will maintain the same cash total funding for the sector until the end of this Parliament: this includes all EU and Exchequer funding provided for farm support under both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 of the current Common Agricultural Policy. This commitment applies to each part of the UK. Beyond that, we are currently considering the options and costings for a replacement scheme, taking account of the responses to the recent Health and Harmony consultation and delivery risks.

Forests: North of England

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made in establishing the Northern Forest; and what funding has been allocated from the public purse to date.

David Rutley: The Northern Forest will be delivered by a Government-backed partnership of the Woodland Trust and the five Community Forests along the M62 corridor. This partnership has already developed the vision for the Northern Forest, including the ambition to plant 50 million trees over the next 25 years. As part of the 25 Year Environment Plan, the Government has committed to providing £5.7 million to kick-start the Northern Forest. We are working closely with the Woodland Trust and Community Forest partners to agree how the funding will best support and accelerate the project. We have already identified a number of further sites, which we expect to be planted in the coming planting season.

Drinking Water: Bottles

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) capability of the Government to administer the replacement of plastic water bottles with bio plastic.

David Rutley: The Government has no plans to administer the replacement of plastic water bottles with bio-based plastics. We are currently developing a UK Bioeconomy Strategy that will bring together biological industries, academia and innovators, linking up farmers and land managers with high-tech industries. This will cover a range of issues such as intellectual property practices; policy, regulation and industry guidance on waste; the impact of bio-based procurement and standards for bio-based plastics and other bio-materials.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of (a) the total agricultural payment budget that will be made available after 2022 and (b) the proportion of the farm payment budget allocated to (i) public goods payments and (ii) other policy objectives after 2022; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: The UK Government made a manifesto commitment that the amount we allocate to farming support, in cash terms, will be protected until the end of this Parliament and that a new, funded scheme would be rolled out thereafter. We have also committed to an agricultural transition period to phase in any changes. No final decisions have yet been taken on funding allocations between different objectives after 2022.

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on encouraging seasonal EU workers to continue travelling to the UK to work on farms.

George Eustice: We are working closely with the Home Office as they seek to develop a new immigration framework that recognises the needs of the UK as a whole, to ensure that the UK has a controlled but flexible migration policy and considers access to seasonal agricultural labour. Until we have left the EU, employers in the agricultural and food processing sectors can continue to recruit EU workers to meet their labour needs. The Government has also commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to assess the role that EU citizens play in the UK economy and society, and how to align future immigration framework with modern industrial strategy. We welcome the MAC’s interim report published in March 2018 and will consider its evidence in full when it publishes its final report in September 2018.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many fines for illegal tail docking have been issued in each year since the introduction of the ban in 2007.

George Eustice: The number of fines issued for illegal tail docking between 2007 and 2017 can be found in the table.   The number of offenders convicted and sentenced for illegal tail docking, 2007 to 2017(1)(2) 20072008200920102011201220132014201520162017Convicted330171191712201Sentenced330171191712201Absolute Discharge00000100000Conditional Discharge27625301000Fines118953511100Community Sentence02121700001Suspended Sentence00100100000Immediate Custody01000000000Compensation00020000100Otherwise Dealt With02000000000Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.   Ref: PQ 151128   (1) The figures given in the table relate to defendants for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.(2) Includes males, females, persons where sex "Not Stated" and other offenders, i.e. companies, public bodies, etc.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to enforce the law against people who advertise for sale online a dog with an illegally docked tail.

George Eustice: Anyone who sees a dog being advertised online with a suspected illegally docked tail should report the matter to the relevant local authority who have powers to investigate such matters under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The RSPCA can also investigate such matters.

Fisheries: Quotas

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the UK fishing quota has been auctioned to vessels owned by non-UK companies.

George Eustice: The UK does not have a system of auctioning for fishing quotas. UK quota is only allocated to vessels registered and licensed in the UK, but case law established the rights of those in other EU Member States to invest in, or purchase, UK licensed vessels, thereby entitling those with UK registered vessels to obtain UK quota shares. The economic link conditions currently associated with UK fishing licences were introduced in 1999 to make sure a genuine economic benefit is accrued to the UK from economic activities derived from UK fishing opportunities. We are reviewing the economic link condition as part of the development of our future fisheries management arrangements.

Animal Welfare

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 June 2018 to Question 149081, if he will meet representatives of animal rescue charities to discuss the potential merits of introducing measures to license and regulate animal rescue centres.

George Eustice: Under The Animal Welfare (Licensed Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 anyone who is in the business of selling pet animals will need to be licensed. Depending on the circumstances that can include animal rescue charities where animals are re-homed and a set fee is charged. We regularly discuss these matters with the bodies represented on the Canine and Feline Sector Group, including animal welfare charities.

Agriculture

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of (a) the Welsh Government and (b) other devolved administrations on the farming industry after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: Ministers and officials are in regular contact with ministers and officials from all of the Devolved Administrations. The Secretary of State last met Ministers from the Scottish and Welsh governments and senior officials from Northern Ireland on 14 May 2018. I have also met stakeholder representatives from the Devolved Administrations on 21 March, at one of a series of roundtable meetings held during our agriculture consultation, “Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit” which ended on 8 May. Agriculture is a devolved responsibility, and it is the government’s intention that each administration has the freedom to design policies that support the individual characteristics of their agricultural sector and their environment. The government has committed to work closely with the Devolved Administrations to deliver an approach that works for the whole of the UK and reflects the needs and individual circumstances of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Home Office

Demonstrations: Palestinians

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if  she will ban the Al Quds march planned for Sunday 10 June as a result of the potential threat to public order.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Secretary has no power to initiate a ban on marches. As set out in the Public Order Act 1986, section 13 prohibiting public processions, a march can only be banned where the police consider that it would result in serious public disorder and that placing restrictions or conditions on such a march – for example its duration, location and size – would not be enough to prevent this. In the London area, should this threshold be met, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner would then need to apply to the Home Secretary for consent to ban the march. No such application has been made.We have a long-standing tradition of freedom of expression and association in this country and the Government is clear that people are free to gather to protest and express their views in public. However, the right to protest does not extend to threats and other criminal behaviour. Like all members of the public, protesters are subject to the law and should individuals cross the boundary into criminal acts including public order offences, hate crime offences including anti-Semitic or violent behaviour, the police have powers to act and I would expect them to use these robustly.

Security Guards: Licensing

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2018 to Question 146328 on Security Guards: Licensing, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the performance of the Security Industry Authority in relation to processing licence applications and renewals.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office receives regular performance reports from the SIA which includes information on the processing of licence applications and renewals.The Annual Reports and Accounts provide published information on the performance of the SIA. The Department also monitors the SIA’s performance against its published Business Plan, with the 2018/19 Plan available on the SIA website at: https://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk

Crime

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much resource police allocated to investigating crimes in (a) Humberside and (b) England in each year from 2010 to 2017.

Mr Nick Hurd: We are helping the police to respond to changing demand with a £460m increase in overall funding in 2018/19, including precept. Most PCCs have committed to protecting or increase frontline policing this year.The Home Office does not centrally hold information on police expenditure on investigating crimes.

Police

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2018 to Question 146837, what information his Department collects on resourcing for specific police functions and job roles; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the number of successful prosecutions of not collecting information on the number of officers employed as detectives.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes information on the primary roles that police officers, police staff and police community support officers perform, by Police Force Area, in England and Wales. These data are published annually as part of the 'Police workforce, England and Wales' statistical bulletin, the latest of which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2017The latest available data, which covers the situation as at 31 March 2017, can be found in Table F1, F2 and F3 of the data tables accompanying the main release. Police workers with multiple responsibilities are recorded under their primary function. Figures are presented on a full-time equivalent basis.The next available data, covering the picture as at 31 March 2018, is scheduled for publication on 19 July, and will be available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-walesWe are helping the police respond to changing demand with a £460m increase in overall funding 2018/19, including through Council Tax precept. Decisions on resources, including the number of detectives employed and how they are deployed is a matter for Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables.

Animal Experiments: Dogs

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) tests of pesticides and (b) other experiments were carried out on dogs in relation to legislation on plant protection products in 2016.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Home Office has published the annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain. The published figures for the numbers of dogs used in relation to legislation on plant protection products can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-of-scientific-procedures-on-living-animals-great-britain-2016).Data were not collected on whether these tests specifically relate to pesticides.

Animal Experiments: Dogs

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to reduce the number of dogs used in animal experiments by applying the principles of (a) replacement and (b) reduction and refinement in the licensing process; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Ben Wallace: The UK is committed to maintaining a rigorous regulatory system which ensures that animal research and testing is carried out only where no practicable alternatives exist and under controls which keep suffering to a minimum. The Home Office ensures all research proposals are compliant with the principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement (the 3Rs).

Animal Experiments: Dogs

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to review the use of dogs as a second species for the purpose of regulatory toxicity testing; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Ben Wallace: There are currently no plans to review the use of dogs as a second species for regulatory toxicity testing.Dogs are a specially protected species under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The Home Office will only grant a project licence for a programme of work using dogs where the purpose of the programme of work specified in the licence can only be achieved by their use, or where it is not practicable to obtain other suitable animals.

Animal Experiments: Dogs

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many dogs were used in licensed animal experiments in the UK in each year between 2010 and 2016; and what assessment he has made of trends in the number of such dogs (a) over and (b) between those years.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Home Office has published the annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain. The published figures for the numbers of dogs used in scientific procedures between 2010 to 2016 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-of-scientific-procedures-on-living-animals.No assessment of trends has been made.

Immigrants: Domestic Violence

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of women have received a response to their application for destitute domestic violence concession within three months in each year since the scheme began.

Caroline Nokes: We do not publish this specific data. This information could only be obtain by a manual case by case review to collate the data which would be disproportionately expensive.

Police: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of police officers in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry in each year since 2010.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of Police Community Support Officers in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry in each year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of police officers and Police Community Support officers employed by each Police Force Area in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis. These data are published in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins.The Home Office collects this information at Police Force Area level only. The latest data available on the number of police officers and Police Community Support officers, as at 30 September 2017, can be found in Table 1 and Table 3 of the police workforce statistics published in January 2018:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/675788/police-workforce-tables-jan17.odsData on the number of police officers and Police Community Support officers in West Midlands, as at 31 March each year and going back to March 2007, can be found in the accompanying Open Data Table: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629362/open-data-table-police-workforce.ods

UK Visas and Immigration: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of staff working for UK Visas and Immigration in each year since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) were formed in April 2013. From June 2014, UKVI figures are published quarterly on gov.uk - https://www.gov.uk/search?q=Border+and+immigration+cross+cutting+data

HM Passport Office: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of staff working for the Passport Office in each year since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: HM Passport Office annual figures for the years 2010 to 2014 are published on gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts. The figures for 2015 to 2018 are in the attached Table 1 file.



Table 1 - PQ 151056
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.3 KB)

Immigration

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is his policy to require applicants for (a) visas and (b) asylum to provide DNA tests to prove British-born children are theirs.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in how many cases his Department has required an applicant for a visa or asylum to provide DNA tests to prove that British-born children are their own in the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: There is no specific requirement for DNA evidence to be provided in immigration cases.It is open to individuals to provide DNA evidence if they choose but this would be on an entirely voluntary basis and where this is submitted, we will consider it.

Nottinghamshire Police

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) police officers and (b) police community support officers were employed by Nottinghamshire Police in each of the last three years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of police officers and the number of police community support officers (PCSOs) employed by each police force in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis. These data are published in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins.The latest data available on the number of police officers and PCSOs in Nottinghamshire, as at 30 September 2017, can be found in Table 1 and Table 3 of the police workforce statistics published in January 2018:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/675788/police-workforce-tables-jan17.odsData on the number of police officers and PCSOs in Nottinghamshire, as at 31 March each year and going back to March 2007, can be found in the accompanying Open Data Table: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629362/open-data-table-police-workforce.odsThe next release of ‘Police workforce’ statistics is due to be published on 19th July, and will represent the picture as at 31 March 2018.

Nottinghamshire Police: Finance

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the quantum of difference is between the amount of central government funding Nottinghamshire Police received in 2010 and that which it received in 2017.

Mr Nick Hurd: It is not possible to make direct comparisons between these years due to changes in police funding arrangements over the period.

Crimes of Violence: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of violent crime are in Nottinghamshire in the last five years for which information is available.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects recorded crime data for violence against the person offences and the sub-set of offences classified as knife crimes from all police forces in England and Wales. Data for last the last five years in the Nottinghamshire police force area can be found within the police recorded crime and knife crime open data tables, which are linked to below:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Immigration

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of his Department's administrative reviews of immigration cases have resulted in a decision being (a) upheld and (b) overturned or sent back to a decision-maker for reconsideration in each of the last seven years.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unsuccessful applications for administrative review have resulted judicial review proceedings challenging those decisions.

Caroline Nokes: We do not hold sufficiently reliable data to answer the questions in the requested format.

Scotland Office

Broadband: Scotland

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on improving broadband (a) connections and (b) speeds in Scotland.

David Mundell: I am in regular contact with Scottish Ministers on a wide range of issues, including digital connectivity across Scotland. I am also aware that my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has recently corresponded with the Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity on the roll-out of broadband. Officials continue to hold regular discussions with their counterparts in the Scottish Government.

Industry: Scotland

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2018 to Question 905625 on industry: Scotland, whether his discussions on the economic effect of the industrial strategy on Scotland included the involvement of trade unions.

David Mundell: The Industrial Strategy has been developed following thorough consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including trade unions. As part of our ongoing engagement on the implementation of the Industrial Strategy in Scotland Lord Duncan of Springbank attends the quarterly meetings of the Scottish Business Growth Group at which the Scottish Trades Union Congress is represented. The forum has looked at the role of the Industrial Strategy in contributing to the development of workplaces and working practices in Scotland.

Cabinet Office

Public Sector: Procurement

Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is assessing measures to increase the efficiency of public sector procurement; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Dowden: Carillion’s insolvency has made it clear that government should think about whether there is a need to make changes which will safeguard against an event of this scale happening again. To that end, we are currently undertaking an internal lessons learned exercise and will be considering a range of inputs before deciding what changes, if any, need to be made to public outsourcing policies and procedures.

Polling Stations

Jim McMahon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many polling stations were operational in elections for each relevant year since 2010.

Chloe Smith: This information is not held centrally by the Government. Local authority Returning Officers hold information on the polling stations used at each election which is passed to the Electoral Commission. The Commission then collates and publishes it in its electoral data report which can found on its website at https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/our-work/our-research/electoral-data/electoral-data-files-and-reports

Cabinet Office: Written Questions

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to answer Question 136059 asked by the hon. Member for Ashton-under-Lyne on 16 April 2018, on Cabinet Office: Apprentices.

Oliver Dowden: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to PQ136059 on 6 June 2018.

Prison Officers: Retirement

Laura Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to review the pension age for prison officers.

Oliver Dowden: Prison Officers are members of the Civil Service pension scheme, which is the responsibility of the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office has no current plans to review the pension age for prison officers.

Liver Cancer: Mortality Rates

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the survival rate is for liver metastasis.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 66.39 KB)

Department for International Trade

Israel: Arms Trade

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether restrictions on end-use are applied to UK exports of military equipment to Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Graham Stuart: We do not have extraterritorial powers to restrict the end use of goods exported under an export licence from the UK. However, end use is an important consideration when assessing a licence application against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.This assessment is undertaken on a case-by-case basis and the Consolidated Criteria require us to think hard about the impact of providing equipment and its capabilities to the end user. We will not a grant a licence if to do so would be inconsistent with these criteria.We are keeping the situation in Israel and Gaza under careful review to ensure that extant export licences remain consistent with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. We will revoke these licences if we assess that they are no longer consistent with these criteria.We have no information to suggest that UK supplied equipment has been used in contravention of the Consolidated Criteria.

Department for International Trade: Non-departmental Public Bodies

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade,  how many (a) women and (b) men his Department has appointed to each of his Department's non-Departmental Public Bodies in each of the last five years.

Greg Hands: The Department of International Trade does not currently have any non-Departmental Public Bodies.

Trade Agreements: Africa

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, for what reason he withdrew from speaking at the Partnering for Prosperity: A New Trade Deal with Africa conference on the 1 May 2018.

Greg Hands: I believe that the Rt Hon. Member is referring to my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade’s invitation to give a speech and attend a dinner at Chatham House last month.As I am sure the Rt Hon. Member can appreciate, parliamentary business meant that the Secretary of State had to attend votes in the House of Commons.However, he did attend the dinner following Parliamentary voting, which focused on the UK’s trade policy after the UK leaves the EU. A wide range of topics were raised in the discussion, including on trade and development.

Trade Agreements

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what representations he has received from (a) members of the public and (b) civil society organisations on concerns over mechanisms for government accountability on trade policy and the negotiation of future trade agreements.

Greg Hands: The Department engages regularly with stakeholders across the business community, civil society, academia and the public as a whole. This is achieved via a number of different engagement mechanisms such as stakeholder briefings and roundtables and the Department are committed to a transparent and inclusive trade policy.The Department published a Trade White Paper in October 2017 setting out its ambition to build an independent trade policy and inviting views on our developing approach. The Department received 150 responses providing feedback and evidence in answer to specific questions posed in the policy paper and to our general approach to a future UK trade policy. In addition, The Department received a large number of responses (7,429) as part of a Civil Society campaign on transparency and inclusivity. The Department has carefully considered this feedback and in January published our response.In addition to dialogue between Department for International Trade policy officials and stakeholders, the Department met with a number of White Paper respondents, to discuss their responses in more detail, gaining valuable insight which we will consider when developing our policy.

UK Trade With EU

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of the UK's trade in goods in 2017 for (a) exports (b) imports was with countries that the UK has a preferential trading relationship with due to its membership of the EU.

Graham Stuart: Holding answer received on 11 June 2018



In 2017, UK goods exports to EU countries accounted for 48.8% of the value of total UK goods exports to the world. In 2017, UK goods exports to non-EU countries, with which the UK has a preferential trading relationship due to its membership of the EU, accounted for 12.2% of total UK goods exports to the world.In 2017, UK goods imports from EU countries accounted for 54.8% of the value of total UK goods imports from the world. In 2017, UK goods imports from non-EU countries, with which the UK has a preferential trading relationship due to its membership of the EU, accounted for 12.6% of UK goods imports from the world.  Source: ONS Trade in goods MRETS (March 2018), UK Economic Accounts Q4 – October to December 2017 (for Canada and Switzerland) The figures referring to non-EU countries with which the UK has a preferential trading relationship excludes those countries with EU trade agreements that have not been provisionally applied yet, according to the European Commission website: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/negotiations-and-agreements/#_in-place

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Arts and Culture: Finance

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding from the public purse has been allocated for arts and culture in Doncaster (a) in total, (b) per head of the local population and (c) per head in England for the latest year for which figures are available.

Michael Ellis: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 11 June 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The government is committed to ensuring that people from across the country have access to our world class art and culture, and Arts Council England has worked hard in recent years to ensure investment outside London has increased as a percentage and in cash terms. In 2017/18, the latest year for which figure are available, Arts Council England invested £1,383,998 in Doncaster (Local Authority region); the data below outlines the funding allocated per head for Doncaster and England for the same year. The £ per head figure may not provide a true reflection of the benefits that Doncaster will receive from cultural investment across England, as many arts organisations take their work across the country impacting regions outside the area that they are based in. £ per Head by Decision YearYearDoncasterEngland2017/18£4.50£11.32

Michael Ellis: The government is committed to ensuring that people from across the country have access to our world class art and culture, and Arts Council England has worked hard in recent years to ensure investment outside London has increased as a percentage and in cash terms. In 2017/18, the latest year for which figure are available, Arts Council England invested £1,383,998 in Doncaster (Local Authority region); the data below outlines the funding allocated per head for Doncaster and England for the same year. The £ per head figure may not provide a true reflection of the benefits that Doncaster will receive from cultural investment across England, as many arts organisations take their work across the country impacting regions outside the area that they are based in. £ per Head by Decision YearYearDoncasterEngland2017/18£4.50£11.32

Nutrition: Children

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of children viewing advertisements featuring products high in fat, salt or sugar on television; and whether that estimated figure has changed since 2013.

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the quantum of difference in the number of children viewing advertisements for products high in fat, salt or sugar on (a) broadcast and (b) online media.

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of restrictions on advertisements for products high in fat, salt or sugar on smaller UK media channels.

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of restrictions on advertisements for products high in fat, salt or sugar on public service broadcasters.

Margot James: There is a clear need to address childhood obesity on health and social justice grounds and this government is committed to tackling the issue and supporting people in making healthy choices. As part of this ongoing process, in August 2017 we announced a £5 million investment in a policy research unit on childhood obesity to provide a robust evidence, evaluation and research capability including looking at the impact of marketing on childhood obesity. The unit is undertaking a large programme of work and we will consider the results in due course. In 2016 we published a world-leading plan to tackle childhood obesity based on the best evidence. We have made significant progress and now want to build on those strong foundations. We will be publishing a second chapter of the Childhood Obesity Plan in due course.  A review of advertising restrictions for products and brands high in fat, salt or sugar, was published by Ofcom in 2010 and included a detailed assessment of effects on commercial public service broadcasters and commercial channels. The UK currently places strong restrictions on high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) products. Strict new rules came into effect in July 2017 banning the advertising of HFSS food or drink products in children’s media. These restrictions apply across all non-broadcast media including in print, cinema, online and in social media and are designed to compliment similar measures already in place for broadcast media.

Local Press

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, by what mechanism Local Democracy Reporter Service journalists are held accountable to BBC standards of impartiality.

Margot James: The organisations which employ Local Democracy Reporter Service reporters are contractually obliged to produce and supply content and services to the BBC. In doing so they must adhere to a number of criteria including adherence to the Editors’ Code and the BBC Guidelines, which include impartiality.

Local Press

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether stories written by Local Democracy Reporter Service reporters are available to access free of charge for BBC licence fee payers.

Margot James: Licence fee payers can access content from Local Democracy Reporter Service reporters, free of charge, via BBC News outlets, as well as through the newspapers, websites, radio stations and TV channels which make up the 800 other outlets in the Local News Partnerships.

Cybercrime

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance his Department has published for organisations in the private sector to reduce their vulnerability to cyber-attacks.

Margot James: As the UK authority on cyber security, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is committed to providing expert, trusted, and independent guidance for members of the public and public and private sector organisations, including but not limited to UK industry, government departments, the critical national infrastructure and private SMEs. This guidance is freely available on NCSC’s website and is underpinned by our unique insights into cyber threats and is regularly updated. Following it will enable institutions and companies to put measures in place to help protect themselves from cyber attacks, and help to protect the UK’s economic prosperity and reputation.​

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much his Department spent on youth social action in the 2017-2018 financial year.

Tracey Crouch: We are committed to providing high quality social action opportunities for young people to build their skills and networks outside of school regardless of their background or circumstances. The Office for Civil Society (OCS), now based in DCMS, has spent £185.75 million on youth social action programmes in 2017/18 financial year, broken down as follows - £180.5 million on National Citizen Service (which includes social action as a key element of the programme), £5 million on the #iwill Fund and £250,000 on the British Youth Council’s Youth Voice programme.

House of Commons Commission

Parliamentary Estate: Charitable Donations

Clive Lewis: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate has been made of the amount of money raised for charity from the change collection boxes at cash tills in catering outlets on the Parliamentary Estate.

Tom Brake: No estimate has been made of the amount of money raised for charity from the Royal British Legion (RBL) collection boxes, which are the only ones permitted on the estate. However, starting from November, the RBL will inform us annually of the amount raised.

House of Commons: Pay

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what pay rise has been awarded to staff in the Catering Services of the House of Commons for financial year 2018-19.

Tom Brake: In common with all House of Commons staff, all staff in Catering Services received an interim pay award of a 1% increase in salary with effect from 1 April 2018. This interim pay award was an early pay award for 2018–19 and its conditions included moving the pay date from 1 September to 1 April for each year from 1 April 2019. We are in negotiations with the unions for a second increase with effect from 1 September 2018.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Brexit

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of HMRC of 23 May and 5 June 2018 to the Treasury Committee, whether he has seen briefing papers on the estimated figures of £17-20 billion on the costs of the maximum facilitation model; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of those estimates.

Mr Steve Baker: The Government is undertaking a wide range of continuing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. This analysis contributes to our exit negotiations with the EU, helps define our future partnership with the EU, and informs our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks. We have been clear the Government will not provide an ongoing commentary on internal analytical work that is being carried out within government. By leaving the Customs Union and establishing a new and ambitious customs arrangement with the EU, we will be able to forge new trade relationships with our partners around the world, and maintain as frictionless trade as possible in goods between the UK and EU, providing a positive and powerful voice for free trade. In assessing the options for the UK's future customs relationship with the EU, the government will be guided by what delivers the greatest economic advantage to the UK and by our strategic objectives:To keep trade with the EU as frictionless as possible;To avoid a ‘hard border’ between Ireland and Northern Ireland;To establish an independent international trade policy.

Women and Equalities

Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 22 December 2017 to Question 120358, on Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund, what the timetable is for publishing the evaluation of the Access to Elected Office Fund which was completed in June 2015.

Victoria Atkins: We intend to publish this report shortly.

Females: Voting Rights

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how much of the funding under the Women’s Suffrage Centenary Grant Scheme has been allocated; and what amount has been allocated to each successful organisation who applied for such funding.

Victoria Atkins: The £1.5 million Women’s Votes Centenary Grant Scheme opened in December 2017. It has two funding streams: the small grants stream has a ceiling of £2,000 to support small local celebratory events. The larger grants stream covers projects from £2,000 to £125,000 that will increase young people’s understanding of and engagement with democracy; and encourage women to participate in public life. So far this year, 149 small projects have been allocated a total of £240,981 and 8 larger projects have been allocated £608,556 making an overall allocation from the Grant Scheme of £849,537. Money is being made available over the whole of the centenary year through 5 bidding rounds (3 small grants rounds and 2 large grants rounds) taking place from December 2017 to September 2018. Round 2 of the Large Grant Fund closed on 17th May and is currently being assessed. The tables below show a) the breakdown of the first two rounds of the small grants fund by region only (a further breakdown of all grants awarded through the Small Grants Fund will be available on the grant scheme’s website (www.womensvotecentenaryfund.co.uk) from the end of June) and b) details of the allocations to the eight large projects. Small Grants Fund ROUND 1ROUND 2RegionSuccessful grantsAmountSuccessful grantsAmountEast Midlands7£13,736.794£2,478.00Eastern6£10,554.504£7,840.00London16£28,177.506£10,857.00North East13£21,112.503£5,980.00North West17£27,277.0011£13,262.00South East7£9,385.0012£19,860.00South West5£7,470.009£13,299.00West Midlands9£16,082.007£11,470.00Yorkshire & Humber6£9,670.007£12,470.00 86£143,465.2963£97,516.00  Large Grants Fund Organisation NameAmount AwardedRegions working inNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty£114,748.00East Midlands, North East and South WestCinema for All (previously the British Federation of Film Societies)£65,582.00North East, North West and Yorkshire & HumberSaathi House£68,972.00West Midlands and Yorkshire & HumberGood Things Foundation£124,311.00All EnglandYoung Women’s Trust£58,350.00East Midlands, London and West MidlandsEssex Cultural Diversity Project Ltd£60,025.00East of EnglandFeminist Archive£50,780.00South WestJacksons Lane£65,788.00London £608,556.00